Sorcerer Stabber Shinigami
by Snow Tigra
Summary: Finished! Duo leaves the most pretigious magic school in the land to search for a lost friend, Heero, while the magic school will do anything to get him back. Loosely based on the story line for Orphen, with many a twist.
1. Teaser

Title: Sorcerer Stabber Shinigami  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Author: Snow Tigra  
Rating: ummm…. R? Possible lemon later.  
Pairing: our favorite of course and something between Trowa and Quatre later  
Warnings: AU semi-fusion with Sorcerous Stabber Orphan, curses, magic, evil sorcerers, dragons and swords in a semi-medieval setting. Possible future lemons depends on muses corporation.  
Spoilers: *snickers* Why do I even leave this here? Of course not!  
Archive: Fanfiction.net  
  
Sorcerer Stabber Shinigami  
Teaser/Intro  
  
Snow drifted down from the sky, covering the land in a thick blanket of cold and frost. In the hills, above the town of Slanow, a lone figure walked alone. His thick fur cloak billowed around him, steadily becoming white from the clinging ice. He leaned on his walking staff, his weariness quite apparent from the leaning and short breaths he was taking. As soon as he reached the edge of the town he forced himself to straighten and walk normally, though his muscles screamed in protest. He moved through the silent streets until he came to one building in particular, the sign at the door proclaiming it as "The Winner Inn."  
  
The boy pushed off his hood and winced as the cold air hit his face. Blinking away the snowflakes which quickly clung to his long eyelashes, over bright violet eyes, he dug in his pockets, searching for what was left of his money. As he searched said violet eyes scanned the streets for danger. A second later his hand came out, empty.  
  
"It figures," he grumbled angrily. "I finally find a warm place to sleep and I'm all out of money."   
  
Cursing softly he walked around the outer wall of the inn until he spotted a low window leading to what looked like an empty room. He grinned to himself and glanced over the street around him again, finding it devoid of life.  
  
"Looks like I'll have a place to sleep after all."  
  
Pointing to the ground his cloak began to billow out from around him as a purple mist swirled around his feet. Slowly his feet drifted up, off the ground and he floated up to the window. A snap of his fingers and the window unhitched, swinging open with barely a squeak. He floated into the room and landed silently on the wooden floor, the windows swinging shut behind him. Turning he re-locked the windows then dropped onto the empty bed.   
  
"I hate cold beds," he muttered quietly, curling into his fur cloak, trying to keep warm as the wind howled outside. He soon drifted into a restless sleep, filed with dreams of a boy with stunning cobalt blue eyes.  
  
**  
  
Outside the window and the Winner Inn two forms dressed in flowing black cloaks appeared. One stood tall, wearing a thick cloak with blood red dyed fur ringing the neck and bottom, tied on with a sash of bright blue. His double eyebrows arched as he gazed into the window at the sleeping violet-eyed boy.  
  
"Shall we strike now, master?" Asked his shorter companion, whose face was mostly covered by auburn brown hair. A single emerald eye flickered form the room's occupant to the taller man.  
  
"No," responded the taller man. "Let him sleep, we shall wait until the time is right."  
  
"Could it be that we could be wrong in our assumptions of him?" The boy asked quietly.  
  
The man frowned for a moment and rubbed his chin with a gloved hand. "Perhaps. Only time will tell I suppose."  
  
The boy nodded silently.  
  
As the snow faded to a stop and the sun began to rise the two cloaked figures faded away, leaving the roof top empty.  
  
End of teaser.  



	2. Prolouge

Prologue  
  
Heero stood before the council, his head bowed silently, showing submission. Before him the tall figures sat on their platform discussing his fate, and all he did was stand there, waiting for their verdict.   
  
He didn't let his mind wander, knowing it wouldn't do him any good. He forced himself not to think of the violet-eyed boy who'd become such a part of his life. He forced himself not to think of the nights they'd spent together, wrapped in each other's arms. He wouldn't think of that sparkling smile, nor that determined look when he was attempting his lessons. He wouldn't. He couldn't.   
  
He couldn't lose his resolve now, not now. Not when everything was at stake. He'd decided to do this, to protect him, and he wouldn't step down. Not now, not ever.  
  
"Apprentice Heero, you stand charged of a grievous crime, how do you plead?"  
  
"Guilty," Heero responded without looking up.  
  
The master sorcerers exchanged glances and nodded to each other. Finally one of the stood and address the young boy. "You know the punishment that is required."  
  
Heero swallowed and nodded. Here was the true test. He looked up at the platform of sorcerers and set his face in an emotionless expression. "Yes."  
  
"You accept this punishment?"  
  
"I do."  
  
The man nodded and took his seat once more, waving his hand to two guards on either side of Heero. Both guards stepped forward, the first reaching forward and grasping onto the amulet hanging from Heero's neck. He yanked it hard, the chain shattering apart and the pieces falling to the ground. Then both guards took the sides of Heero's robes and pulled, ripping away the clothes that sheltered his body and told of his rank among the students of the Tower. Heero was left standing naked save for the set of spandex shorts he always wore under his cloak. He dropped his head once more, diverting his eyes to the floor.  
  
Another sorcerer stood up and addressed him. "Apprentice Heero, you are hereby stripped of your rank. You are no longer a student of the Tower, the house will no longer permit you within its walls nor will we acknowledge that you were ever a student. You are forbidden to use your magic henceforth. Any attempt to regain entrance to the Tower will result in your death and any who are suspected of helping you. Do you understand this?"  
  
Heero swallowed in an attempt to keep his voice from showing his fear. "Yes."  
  
"Then accept your punishment, boy."  
  
Heero looked up and met eyes with the taller man as all the sorcerers stood up. Each raised their hands in unison and multicolored power pooled before them. Heero planted his feet tightly against the ground, bracing himself for the impact of the blast he knew was coming. He watched, emotionless, as their power combined into a large ball of energy, swirling before him. Then, without warning, the power burst forth, straight for Heero.   
  
He didn't raise his arms to protect himself, knowing that there was no way he could block such an attack. He simply stood there as the power slammed into him, throwing him backward against the wall. He hit the wall hard, yet only allowed himself a small grunt of pain. Slouching to the ground his entire body screamed as the power seeped into his body, absorbed into his very being. Soon the energy melted away, leaving his body throbbing and sweat beading down his forehead as he took deep breaths.  
  
"Be gone."  
  
All the sorcerers turned their back to him, symbolically forgetting about his presence in the room. Heero struggled to his feet and took the tattered robe that was thrown at him, quickly tossing it over his shivering body. He knew he only had so long before the spell completely took effect. Only so long to get away from the Tower to avoid endangering the other students.  
  
As he raced down the halls and plunged out into the snowstorm his only regret was that he didn't get to say good bye to Duo. At least Duo was now safe, even though the violet eyed boy probably hated him for shouldering the blame, there was no way they could hurt him now. That single thought comforted Heero as he trudged through the snow, barefooted and shivering. He held onto that thought and the memory of the boy he had come to love. Because now, it was all he had.  
  
End of Prologue  



	3. Part 1

Part 1  
  
Author's Note: for all intents and purposes (that will become clear later) Duo is currently 14. Trust me, its important.  
  
Quatre raced down the stairs from his room, pulling on his shirt as he stumbled into the main room, catching himself on the wooden bar. He ran a hand through his short blond hair, in an attempt to straighten it, and smiled at his father. His father paused in cleaning off the bar and smiled at him in greeting.  
  
"Good morning," Quatre declared happily as he grabbed his broom and apron from the corner.  
  
"You're sure awake this morning."  
  
Quatre just grinned. "The snow storm is over and it looks like most of it will melt away today. Spring's coming real soon."  
  
His father laughed. "Okay, fine, go clean the rooms so you can enjoy this rare weather."  
  
Quatre nodded happily and rushed back up the stairs with the broom. He opened the first door after the stairs, intent on getting his work done as soon as possible. He had it memorized last night from his father's list which rooms were full and which weren't. He'd clean all the empty rooms then have the day all to himself. He expected to find this particular room empty, after all it hadn't been purchased last night. However he was greeted with a full bed, and a figure curled up tightly in the corner against the wall of the bed in a fur cloak.  
  
Raising the broom and gripping it tightly he approached the bed, gathering his courage in an attempt to look intimidating.  
  
"Hey! Get up! We don't appreciate thieves! Get up and pay for this room!"  
  
The figure stirred and uncurled from his cloak, revealing a set of bright violet eyes and long chestnut colored hair pulled into a disheveled braid. The violet eyes narrowed at Quatre. "Go away," he grumbled. "It's too early."  
  
"No! How dare you steal one of our rooms!" Quatre swung the broom down, aiming for the boy's head but he was surprised as the boy caught the broom and yanked it from his hands. Quatre took a step back as the boy sat up and snapped the broom over his knee. Tossing it to the floor, the violet eyes glared at him. For a moment Quatre just stood there, caught in the boy's glare, then the trance seemed to be broken as the violet eyed boy broke into a loud yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"Far too early," he murmured.  
  
Quatre took a step forward to yell at the other boy once again but his eyes caught a glint of silver instead. He took another step forward, warily, and his eyes widened.  
  
"Woah! Is that what I think it is?"  
  
The boy glared at Quatre and then at the amulet around his neck. It was silver, in the shape of a dragon intertwined around a long rune covered sword. "This old thing?" he asked, fingering it absent-mindedly.  
  
Quatre reached out to touch it and the boy slapped his hand away.   
  
"Yeah, yeah, it's an amulet from the Tower of Fang, so what?"   
  
The boy stood up and stretched, gazing around the barren room. "Are you really a sorcerer? From the Tower?"  
  
The boy yawned and grinned. "Yeah. Name's Duo, what about you?" Duo glanced back to Quatre, looking the boy over.  
  
"Quatre," Quatre said with a smile. But that smile quickly faded into a frown. "But sorcerer or not you still have to pay for your room. And now you owe us for the broom too!"  
  
Duo took a step back in surprise at the boy's sudden change of mood. "Okay, okay! Cool down kid-"  
  
"I'm not a kid! I'm just as old as you." Quatre pointed out angrily.  
  
"Okay, sorry. Look, here's your broom." Duo turned to the splintered wood and waved his finger. Purple treadles curled out of thin air and wrapped themselves around the splinters, lifting them up into the air where they danced and slowly began to lace back together. Slowly the broom mended itself, almost as if time were reversing and all the pieces grew back into one. As soon as the broom was patched back together it flew into Duo's hand and he tossed it to the blond boy with a smile, the purple light disappearing from the room.  
  
Quatre fumbled to catch the broom, nearly dropping it on the floor again. Turning it over in his hands he stared wide eyed at the newly mended wood. A moment later he shook off his awe and turned his gaze back to Duo. "This still doesn't pay for your room." He pointed out hotly.  
  
Duo sighed heavily and dropped to sitting on the bed. He knew this kid wasn't going to give up nor would he drop the subject, so he supposed he'd have to come up with another plan. "Look ki-Quatre. I'm really low on money at the moment and I can't pay for the room. However I'll make you a deal. You let me stay here for a while and I'll take you as my apprentice." Duo fingered his necklace, watching the blond very closely.  
  
Quatre blinked at him and a wide grin grew across his face. "You mean it? You'll teach me magic?"  
  
"Sure, I'll teach. If you'll learn."  
  
"Of course!" Quatre grabbed onto Duo's wrist and yanked him to his feet, pulling him quickly to the door. Down the stairs and into the main bar Quatre yanked Duo all the way, despite the sorcerer's protests. Quatre finally let go of Duo's arm and rushed over to his father, meanwhile Duo caught himself before slamming into the bar. He rubbed his wrist and glanced between the boy and his father. The father glared at Duo as he took a seat.  
  
"I don't remember you checking into a room last night, young man," he grumbled suspiciously.  
  
Duo opened his mouth to answer but Quatre cut him off.  
  
"He stole a room," Quatre blurted out. Duo scowled to himself and shook his head sadly.  
  
"You'll need to pay for it you know, with money or your hide."  
  
Duo winced and opened his mouth to protest once more, but once again Quatre jumped in.  
  
"He's offered to teach me magic instead."  
  
The boy's father raised an eyebrow and set down his rag, walking over to lean on the bar next to Duo. Duo simply grinned back at him. "You don't look much like a sorcerer, more like a little kid trying to be smart and avoid paying for the room he stole."  
  
Duo pulled his necklace into sight for the old man. "And this?"  
  
"A mere trinket, you can buy it at any booth in town. It doesn't prove you're from the Tower of Fang."  
  
Duo smirked. "Then how shall I prove it to you, old man?"  
  
The old man pointed to a pile of shattered glass that had been swept into a corner. "Had a rowdy group last night, clean up the mess, without a broom or mop."  
  
Duo stood up and rubbed his hands together, walking over to the pile. He regarded it for a moment then shrugged and smiled. "Clean up, eh? How about I save you some money while I'm at it." Duo raised his hands and positioned them so his palms were facing the pile. Tracing a few shapes in the air he closed his eyes and muttered a word.  
  
Purple light emitted from his hands, flowing down around the shards. The small pieces of glass rattled on the floor then, one by one, started jumping into the air to link back together. One at a time each glass rebuilt itself in the air until it sparkled brand new, then it floated onto the table next to Duo. Soon four glasses sat on the table, sparkling in the dim light. Duo opened his eyes and picked up the glasses, carrying them over to set them in front of Quatre and his father. Taking a seat again he grinned at both of them.  
  
"Satisfied?"  
  
The old man picked up the glass and turned it over in his hands. "Name your price," he murmured.  
  
"Place to stay, food to eat, little spending money on the side and I'll teach him."  
  
The old man nodded. "You'll teach him and get him into the Tower of Fang."  
  
Duo frowned deeply, but quickly shrugged it away. "That's easy enough. Deal."  
  
Quatre clapped his hands together happily. "All right! I get to learn how to do magic!"  
  
Duo snickered and nodded. "Yeah, but first lets eat, I'm starved."  
  
Quatre nodded and ran to the back to get some food. Meanwhile the old man just watched as the two boys worked their way through their plates of food, talking happily about run-of-the-mill things. His eyes kept wandering to the boy's amulet and his violet eyes.   
  
The old man remembered once, long ago, he'd heard a tale of those with purple eyes. It was a sign of something very special and disturbing. He watched the grinning sorcerer and shook his head. No, that old myth couldn't be right. After all, how could someone born under that sign be so cheerful? It just didn't seem possible.  
  
Shaking his head slowly he picked up his rag and went back to cleaning the counters.  
  
**  
  
Duo dropped into bed again that night, wrapping himself up tightly in his fur cloak. Quatre had explained that there wasn't enough wood to give to him at the moment, they had to save it for their paying customers. Duo had shrugged it off at the time, telling them not to worry about it, but now he really wished he'd demanded some or something like that. Once again he found the bed freezing cold and was forced to curl himself into a tight ball under his fur cloak. Shivering in the corner he closed his eyes and tried to get to sleep.  
  
In truth he knew the room really wasn't that cold, but he always shivered. He knew that not even a fire would stop him from shivering. Beds without him were always cold, but Duo was starting to get used to it, even though he didn't want to. There wasn't much he could do about it.  
  
Sighing softly he forced his eyes shut again and tried to think of warmer thoughts. Instead visions of cobalt blue eyes danced in his mind again. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting himself slip into unconsciousness. At least, if he couldn't have those familiar arms wrapped around him… at least he had his memories of them. That happy thought was enough to lull him into a light sleep.  
  
The dream that took over was actually a memory, portrayed in bright vivid colors as if he were living it all over again. He'd worn a ratty old brown robe, and he'd followed one of his older teachers by the name of Milliardo on that first day. Milliardo was the one who'd found him living on the streets, where his uncontrolled powers would occasionally go out of control and leave him shivering from fear in the dirty alley corners. He'd never been a particularly good thief, not with his power spurting out of control at random moments. He'd practically been on death's door when the tall blond sorcerer found him. At the time he didn't care about learning about magic, he was just glad to be offered a place to stay.  
  
Yet when they reached the Tower of Fang he was overwhelmed. Before him, set alone on the rocky landscape, was a cluster of towers with one directly in the center, all made of smooth gray stone, as if the structure were a natural part of the mountain it stood on. The direct center tower was curved slightly to the side, giving the impression that it was actually a fang. Over the main doorway hung the symbol of the Tower of Fang, a large silver dragon curled around a rune covered blade. Duo couldn't help it; his jaw dropped open in awe as they approached.  
  
"Wow," he murmured softly.  
  
Milliardo chuckled softly beside him. "It is quite overwhelming the first day you see it."  
  
"I really get to learn magic?" Duo asked softly.  
  
"You will be taught the arts, yes. What you learn, however, is up to you."   
  
Duo looked up to the source of the voice, realizing it was not Milliardo who spoke, and spotted a pair walking toward them. One was a tall man, with honey-blond hair cut close to his head and forked eyebrows. He wore robes like Milliardo but they were more ornate, making plain his status as a higher teacher or leader of the school. Beside him followed a silent boy dressed in a black and red outfit, with auburn hair which covered half his face. A single bright emerald eye regarded Duo silently.  
  
"Milliardo," the man said in greeting, a small smile crossing his face. "A new student?"  
  
"Yes, his name is Duo. Duo, this is Master Treize and his current apprentice, Trowa."  
  
Duo grinned and nodded greeting, still quite speechless from his amazing surroundings. Treize stepped forward and took Duo's chin lightly, tilting his head up so he could gaze into the boy's eyes. Treize's own blue eyes locked with Duo's violet eyes and after a moment he smiled lightly, letting go of the boy's chin.  
  
"A child of Shinigami, how interesting. He most certainly has potential, you did well in finding him Milliardo."   
  
Duo glanced in confusion from Treize to Milliardo, but neither answered his questioning look. After a moment his eyes flickered to Trowa, who he found was watching him intently. Duo flashed a bright smile, trying to get the silent boy to smile back, but instead he only blinked in response.  
  
Treize turned to Trowa, who merely glanced to him but still did not speak. "If you would please take him to his room, I have some things to discuss with Milliardo."  
  
"His room?" Trowa asked quietly.  
  
"Yes. Place him with Heero, the two will do well as roommates."  
  
Trowa nodded and gave a short bow. Turning to Duo he beckoned the boy to follow then started down the halls which connected the many towers together. Duo stood there for a moment, watching after Treize and Milliardo who headed in the opposite direction speaking in hushed voices. A second later he rushed to catch up with Trowa.  
  
"So you're a student here too?" Duo asked as he followed the silent boy. He noticed that Trowa moved like a breeze, walking smoothly and covering distance quickly, even though he didn't appear to be moving at all.   
  
Trowa only nodded in response.  
  
"Are all the students as quiet as you?"  
  
Trowa paused in his step and glanced back at Duo, an amused expression on his face. "Some are, some aren't."  
  
"And my new roommate? What's his name-Heero? Does he talk much?"  
  
Trowa nodded. "Yes and no. You'll get to know him and understand."  
  
Duo nodded as they started walking again. "I guess, what's he like?"  
  
"That is something you will discover on your own." Trowa paused by a large oak door. "This is your room, for as long as you stay here in the Tower." Pulling the door open he ushered Duo inside. Duo stepped in, and just gazed at the large room.  
  
"Where's my roommate?" He asked as soon as he noticed the room had no other occupants.  
  
"He is studying under his master. Get some sleep, you'll need it for tomorrow."  
  
Duo nodded. "Thanks."  
  
Trowa turned to leave but paused as Duo glanced at him.  
  
"Where's your room?"  
  
That small amused smile crossed Trowa's face once more. "Down the hall. Good night, Duo."  
  
"Night," Duo responded cheerfully as the door shut, leaving him alone in the large room. He turned and glanced around himself, finally taking stock of the room around him. Smooth stone walls reached up to a vaulted ceiling shrouded in darkness, for not even the candlelight could reach that high. The room was barren, with a small table, a fire pit in the corner and two beds.   
  
The beds themselves held very little covering, merely just a fur covering and a hard feather stuffed pillow. He glanced from the beds, on one side of the room, to the fire pit on the other side of the room. Duo smiled softly to himself and rolled up the sleeves on his robe. Walking over to the bed he grabbed the blanket and pillow, pulling them off the bed with a quick movement. Then he walked over to the fire pit and piled what little wood he had inside. Lighting the fire he curled himself into the blanket about a foot away, close enough to stay warm but far enough away to make sure his hair didn't catch fire.   
  
Living on the streets for most of his life he knew how to get warmth when he could, especially when one lived in a country where the weather predominantly consisted of winter and snow. Closing his eyes he smiled softly, enjoying the warmth, even though he knew the meager amount of wood wouldn't last long. Still, it was like heaven while it lasted.  
  
The fire lasted for about an hour, then died into soft glowing embers. Duo was left shivering on the cold stone floor which sucked whatever remaining heat he had out of his body. He lay there shivering for most of the night and completely miserable for most of the night. Well, that is until an unfamiliar set of arms wrapped around him and a warm was pressed up against his back. Then the shivering had stopped and he'd slept peacefully for the first time in his life.  
  
**  
  
Quatre glanced up the next morning, as the door to the Inn swung open and a girl entered. She wore a light blue dress that only reached her knees, quite short for the cold weather outside, and a dark fur lined cloak bearing the emblem of one of the numerous warrior schools. A huge clunking sword was strapped to her belt, just high enough to avoid it catching on the floor. It did however bump against the door frame and almost threw her off balance. She hopped past the door, caught her balance once more and grinned at Quatre. He returned a smile.  
  
"Hilde? That you?"  
  
"Heya Quatre," she took a seat on one of the many bar stools and glanced around the main bar entrance to the Inn. She was greeted with the site of many empty tables, in fact they were all empty save for a couple glancing at each other with starry eyes in the corner. Hilde turned back to the blond boy behind the counter. "Pretty dead for this time of year," she commented.  
  
"What are you doing back so early? I thought you went to a warrior school for the year."  
  
Hilde nodded. "Yeah, I did, but it got boring. All they did was fight against straw dummies and they kept telling me that I needed to trade in my father's sword from something smaller and more… feminine." Hilde made a face and Quatre giggled. Hilde and feminine were two words that just didn't go together at all.  
  
"So what have you been up to?" She asked as he handed her a glass of water. "Have you decided what school you're going to yet? Or you still planning on staying here in this crummy old inn the rest of your life?"  
  
Quatre grinned broadly. "Yep. I'm going to the Tower of Fang."  
  
Hilde blinked in surprise and set down her drink before it dropped from her hand. "You can't be serious! Do you know how hard it is to get in there? You need to find a sorcerer, which is hard enough in itself, and then you need to convince them to teach you. Have you completely gone nuts? There's no way you're going to find a teacher-"  
  
"I already found one."  
  
"Who?"  
  
Quatre smiled. "Come on, I'll introduce you two. I have to wake him up here anyway before he sleeps the day away." Quatre set down his cleaning cloth and pulled off his apron, then beckoned Hilde to follow him up the stairs. She left her cloak hanging beside the counter and hurried after him up the stairs, her long sword catching several times on the wall and stairs. Were it not for the thick leather sheath she probably would have owed Quatre and his father for wooden stair repairs, but thankfully that was not the case. She reached the top of the stairs without much incident and followed Quatre to the first room. She caught up with him just as he pushed the door open.  
  
She honestly didn't know what to expect of this sorcerer that Quatre had found but she certainly wasn't expecting what she discovered. What she found was a shivering young boy, making tortured sounds in his sleep and he winced almost like he was in pain. Quatre quickly rushed to his side and shook him awake while Hilde inched closer in wonder. He certainly didn't look like any sorcerer she'd ever heard of.  
  
"Master? Master wake up." Quatre said as he shook the boy.  
  
Duo's eyes snapped open in surprise and his eyes immediately shifted to Hilde. She gasped and stepped back against the opposite wall.  
  
"A child of Shinigami!" she breathed in surprise and a tinge of fear.  
  
Quatre looked back at her. "What?"   
  
Duo sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He acted completely normal, as if he'd just woken from a peaceful slumber, rather than a restless nightmare filled sleep. Given a huge yawn that would have rivals a tiger's he glanced from Quatre to Hilde. "Friend of yours, Quatre?" he asked in a sleepy voice.  
  
Quatre nodded. "This is Hilde."  
  
The violet eyes flickered to Hilde, who was staying as far away from him as she could. Duo smirked quietly at her reaction to him. It had been so long since he'd been around others that were afraid of him, despite the fact that he shouldn't have liked it he did. He'd forgotten how much he'd missed that small comfort from his days on the street. "What did you call me?" he asked quietly, in a tone that was more amused then threatening.  
  
"A child of Shinigami." She repeated quietly.  
  
"What's that?" Quatre asked.  
  
Hilde's eyes flickered to Duo, who gave a slight nod, beckoning her to go on. He wanted to hear her version of the old myth, it would be interesting, since he could tell by her sword and her movements that she was from one of the warrior schools.  
  
"They're supposed to be cursed, and they all have purple eyes."   
  
Duo laughed coldly. "Yeah, I've been called that before, by many people. That's why they let me into the Tower in the first place."  
  
Quatre still looked confused.  
  
Duo turned an amused grin to Hilde as he began to undo his tangled braid. "Would you care to enlighten us on this particular belief? Since you could probably tell it much better then me."  
  
Hilde eyed the two warily and finally nodded. She leaned against the wall near the fire place while the two boys sat on the bed. Duo watched Hilde quietly, seeming more intent on fixing his hair and watching her sword, while Quatre gave her his undivided attention.   
  
"Well, I don't know too much about it," she started. "All I know is that once every five years the moon shines with a strange red light. Any children born on that night are said to be Children of Shinigami, the God of Death. These children are said to be cursed to bring misfortune to all those around them and they usually become quite powerful, I think that the leader of a local village was one before. The village died though."  
  
"People die because of them?" Quatre asked quietly.  
  
Duo flinched and closed his eyes. In his mind he remembered that night in the school, night before he'd left.   
  
~  
  
"What did you do to him?!"  
  
"He received punishment for his crime."  
  
"You bastard! You know he didn't do anything. I was the one who broke into the room, not him! And you know it!"  
  
"It doesn't matter. We could not sacrifice you, you are too important."  
  
"It wasn't his fault!"  
  
"Others will always take the fall for your actions. That is your fate as one of Shinigami's Children. Accept it."  
  
"Like hell!"  
  
~  
  
Duo flinched and pushed the memory away. Beyond him Hilde closed her mouth and spread her hands in a helpless gesture.  
  
Quatre turned his eyes to Duo, who was now looking out the window and watching the calm snow fall, his fingers still tangled in his now half finished braid. Quickly he finished off his braid, tied it and tossed it over his shoulder. Standing up he walked to the window and leaned his forehead against the cold glass, his breath fogging up the view. He seemed to forget he wasn't the only one in the room as his mind kept repeating Treize's words. 'Others will always take the fall for your actions. That is your fate as one of Shinigami's Children.' Duo shook his head softly, trying to push the words away or make them silent.  
  
"I'm sorry," Hilde said quietly.  
  
"Are… are you cursed?" Quatre ventured softly. He knew he probably shouldn't be asking but he wanted to know.  
  
Duo's eyes snapped open at that question but he didn't move. "Yeah. Yeah kid, I'm cursed. She's right, you don't want to be around me. Look I just agreed to take you as my apprentice because I couldn't pay for the room." Duo turned from the window and faced Quatre, his face very serious. "You don't want to be around me, you'll end up dead."  
  
Grabbing his cloak from the bed he left the room and walked down the stars. Quatre raced to the window and watched as Duo's cloaked figure walked away from the inn, into the snow.  
  
"Duo," he said quietly, placing his hand on the window.  
  
"I'm sorry Quatre, but he's right. The Children of Shinigami are cursed, you're better off without him."  
  
Quatre frowned and shook his head. "You don't understand Hilde. I've always wanted to go to the Tower of Fang and learn magic. None of the other schools interest me, you know that. Chances like this aren't common. He may be my only chance to get into the Tower and I won't lose that! I know it might be dangerous, but if I wanted it to be safe I would have gone to the School of Scholars like my father wanted. I'm not going to miss this chance, Hilde. I don't care. I'm going to the Tower of Fang!"  
  
Turning on his feet he raced out of the room and grabbed a cloak, rushing out after Duo. Hilde was left standing in the room, not sure what to do next.  
  
**  



	4. Part 2

Part 2  
  
Duo left the town behind, walking through the snow as he clutched the fur cloak tightly. After a while he stopped near a tree and sat down against the trunk, in the snow. Leaning his head back he let the sun dance across his face as the flakes stopped falling from the sky. He sat there silently, just holding his amulet in his hand and thinking. He knew he shouldn't have made the offer to the boy, but at the time he couldn't think of a better plan. Well, the kid would be better off without him, he'd just have to find another town to start his search, but he still didn't know where to start. If only he had some clue as to where Heero had gone. And if it weren't so cold and if there wasn't so much snow it would be so much easier. Duo closed his eyes and slammed his fist into the snow, hitting the icy ground beneath.  
  
"Dammit, Heero! Where did you disappear to?!" Duo buried his face in his knees, trying to calm down and thinking rationally. But he couldn't, it had been almost a year since he left the Tower and still he had no clue where Heero was. It was really beginning to pull on his nerves and he didn't know how much longer he could keep his sanity. It was all he could do to keep from breaking down and turning into a miserable old hermit in the mountains.   
  
Beside him he heard soft, tentative footsteps in the snow.  
  
"Heero? He was a friend wasn't he?"  
  
Duo glanced up to see Quatre standing a few feet away, a cloak hanging loosely over his shoulders. The braided boy just sat there quietly, staring up at him. Somehow he managed to nod. Quatre walked over and sat down next to him.  
  
"An old friend," Duo said softly. He didn't know why but he felt like spilling the entire story. He needed to tell someone, he needed to get it out. It could have been anyone sitting next to him, anyone who had asked. But it was too much, he just needed to tell someone, and Quatre just happened to be there and was willing to sit quietly. So Duo let it all out.  
  
~  
  
A ten-year-old Duo awoke the next morning after his first night in the Tower to find a pair of thin yet strong arms wrapped around his body. Immediately he jumped up and pulled out of the embrace, whirling around to face the one who'd been holding him. He found it was a boy, his age, with unruly dark brown hair and bright cobalt blue eyes. The boy sat up and just watched him with a blank look, waiting.  
  
That blank stare, the silent and almost innocent look was infuriating to Duo. He could have sworn he almost saw pity in those eyes, but he was probably imagining it. Still, he couldn't stand to have someone pitying him. He may have lived on the street for most of his life but he had his pride!  
  
"What… just what were you doing? Why did you… sleep with me?" Duo's cheeks grew red at those words. He hadn't meant it to sound like that but he wasn't sure how else to phrase it. His mind just didn't work that quickly in the early morning.  
  
"You were cold," the boy stated simply.  
  
"You…" Duo faltered not able to find the words he was looking for. He found he couldn't actually be angry with the boy, instead he just kept watching his eyes and everything about him. The boy was just a sight, something amazing to look at and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't look away or be angry. It was the boy's eyes, they were the things that seemed to cast a spell over Duo, and he couldn't stop staring at them.  
  
"You would have gotten sick and they would have kicked you out."  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow and began to calm down. "They keep the rooms this cold on purpose?"  
  
The boy nodded. "It is one of many tests. You must survive the cold nights and the daily lessons."  
  
Duo dropped his head and looked at the floor. This boy had just saved him from being tossed back out as an orphan. Duo swallowed, the last of his surprise and anger slipping away. "Thanks, I guess."  
  
The boy simply shrugged. "No need."  
  
"So, you're Heero." Duo said, grinning as he looked down at the boy.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Duo offered his hand down to the boy and helped him to his feet. "I'm Duo, your new roommate."  
  
"I know," a smirk slid across the blank face. "The one born of Shinigami."  
  
"Huh? People keep saying that and I have no idea what it means. I don't even know who my parents are."  
  
"You were born under the moon of Shinigami, the red moon that occurs every five years."  
  
"So, what does that have to do with anything?"  
  
The smirk turned into an amused expression. "You're cursed."  
  
"Are you serious? What, do I turn into some great and horrible creature when the moon shines blue? Do I grow gills when it rains? Cursed? Ha! That's the silliest thing I've ever heard.  
  
Heero shrugged.  
  
There was a knock on the door and both boys looked up. Heero moved his hand and drew a symbol in the air, causing the door to fly open on its own. Milliardo stood in the doorway dressed in dark robes with the symbol of the Tower of Fang hanging around his neck.  
  
"Duo," he said quietly. "You will come with me."  
  
Duo walked over to Milliardo and glanced back. "You coming Heero?"  
  
Heero shook his head.  
  
Milliardo smiled softly. "You will stay with him at night but each student is taught separately. You will see him again tonight." Milliardo directed his light blue eyes toward Heero. "My sister expects you ready for your lesson and at her doors soon."  
  
Heero nodded silently and grabbed his amulet from where he'd left it near the fireplace. Duo watched Heero leave the room silently and head down the hall, then he followed after Milliardo.  
  
And so the years passed in much the same fashion. Duo spent his days learning from Milliardo and his nights curled in Heero's arms near the fireplace. Both boys seemed quite content to just sleep like that every night for the next four years, even after Duo got used to the cold and knew how to ignore it.   
  
Duo would always get back to the room first, finding it quite empty without Heero around. He'd spend the extra time practicing and fooling around with minor castings in the room until Heero got back. Then the two would eat a small dinner, which was brought to their room, and they would head to sleep. Duo would bring over the blankets from the beds and pull it over both of them then he'd curl into Heero's light but protective embrace, falling asleep with a smile on his face as Heero lightly kissed his forehead and the two drifted off into dream land.  
  
It always amazed him that Heero managed to keep warm, even though he was lending his warmth to both himself and Duo. The subject of the gentile kisses before falling asleep never came up and neither seemed to care. Duo took it as a simple sign of affection and Heero never said other wise, it was just something Heero did and Duo didn't question, in fact he found he had trouble sleeping when Heero came in late and didn't give him that small kiss. Or maybe it was just the absence of his arms and embrace that caused him to roll around and shiver restlessly until the boy returned from his late lessons and crawled up next to him.   
  
The years passed and Duo excelled at his lessons. He quickly learned all he could from Milliardo, who turned out to be the Master (teacher) in charge of teaching the students defensive spells and actions. The lessons with Milliardo only took him a year, while he finished with the other Masters in a matter of months. Treize, the main Master of the Tower, was so impressed he took on Duo as a second student, which was something completely unheard of in the history of the Tower. It was always one teacher to one student, never anything else, least not until Duo's thirteenth birthday. So Duo began to learn along side Trowa for his lessons, often time working together with the silent and cunning boy.  
  
Duo learned very little about what they meant when they referred to him as 'the one born of Shinigami'. He knew he was supposed to be cursed but never saw any evidence to that fact. Instead he seemed to live a charmed life in the Tower, no matter what he did he would never get in trouble for it. The worst they would do was tell him it was wrong and make him apologize, but that was it, most of the time the Masters simply fixed the problem and never brought it up again. He was practically spoiled, always taught and treated like a young prince, even though he was far from perfect. But then again Duo always chalked it up to his performance and didn't complain. After all, he did learn and master things faster then the other students, so maybe that was the reason.  
  
None of the other students seemed to care about his special treatment; in fact there was only one person in the entire Tower who constantly pointed it out. She was Milliardo's sister, and Heero's Master, Relena. She was constantly complaining about Duo's special treatment but refused to teach him. Treize and Milliardo always silenced her complaints and soon she came to hate Duo. Whenever they passed in the hall she would fix him with a glare of death, meanwhile Duo would simply grin happily back at her because he knew she couldn't do a single thing to him.  
  
Duo learned very little about the other students save for Trowa and Heero, who he spent most of his time with. He found that Heero had been raised in the Tower, having been the son of two former masters who had long since died. He didn't have much power in the way of magic but seemed to be able to withstand most attacks, physical and magical. He was incredibly strong for his age and size and most magic didn't seem to have much of an effect on him.   
  
Meanwhile Trowa's power was quiet and subtle. Most of his workings had the tendency to sneak up on their target and surprise them, catching them completely off guard. Both boys worked in perfect contrast to Duo's wild and unpredictable talents.  
  
~  
  
Quatre fidgeted as Duo paused. The violet-eyed sorcerer seemed to drift off into his own world, forgetting Quatre was sitting next to him. Quatre hated to interrupt him, it was obvious that the next part of Duo's tale would be a painful part, but at the same time he also wanted to know. He wanted Duo to finish the story; he wanted to find out what had happened to Heero and why he'd left the school. Tentatively he reached forward and placed a hand on Duo's shoulder, causing the other to jump in surprise as he was jolted back to reality.  
  
"What happened to him?" Quatre asked sheepishly. "To Heero?"  
  
Duo swallowed.  
  
"It was my fault, I messed it up."  
  
"How?"  
  
"In the Tower of Fang there's a locked room full of forbidden and powerful spells and incantations and symbols. I was stupid; I broke into the room and read some of the stuff inside. Anyway I was caught and…" Duo bit his lip and swallowed again. "They blamed Heero for it. They made him take the punishment for me and didn't even tell me about it until it was too late. The last time I saw him he was heading off to meet with Relena for his daily lessons. And he never came back that night. I couldn't sleep."  
  
Duo stood up and hugged himself. "The next morning I found Relena pounding at my door, all angry and ready to rip me apart. She said she saw Heero leaving the tower the night before, wrapped in a simple peasant's cloak and she blamed me for it, saying that my curse caused him to leave. I went and talked to Treize, after Milliardo showed up to calm down his sister and Treize explained all of it. He said Heero had taken the blame for what I did, even though Treize knew I was the one who broke into the room and not Heero. They put the punishment on him and banished him from the Tower, commanding him to never return and to never use magic again.  
  
"People will always take the fall for my actions, is what he said. He said that's what it meant to be cursed with the moon of Shinigami. It means that no matter where I go, no matter what I do, others will always suffer the consequences. And it's all my fault for what they did to Heero! If I had known what would have happened I never would have… never would have…" Duo's knees gave out and he collapsed to the ground, pounding his fists into the snow as he swore.  
  
Quatre stood up and walked over to him, waiting for the anger to wear off.  
  
"I don't care." He spoke softly but his voice was clear, his mind decided.  
  
Duo looked up in surprise. "What?"  
  
"I said I don't care. I don't care if you're cursed or if everyone around you is supposed to die. I still want to learn. You're probably my only chance for ever getting into the Tower of Fang and I want to risk it. I'm not going to hide behind the counter at my father's inn anymore, and if that means packing up my things and helping a wandering sorcerer search for his lost friend then I'll do it. I want to learn from you, cursed or not."  
  
Duo stood up and narrowed his eyes, watching Duo closely. "Do you mean that? About wanting to learn and all?"  
  
Quatre nodded with a smile. "Yep. And I mean the other part too; I want to help you find your friend. I wouldn't dream of making you stay in this city while you taught me, so I'll travel with you and learn while I help you search for Heero."  
  
Duo's jaw dropped and he cracked a grin, the anger and regret for what happened to Heero nearly a year ago finally dropping away. "You know something kid? I like you, you remind me of me."  
  
Quatre giggled and nodded. "On one condition," he said becoming serious. "You stop calling me kid."  
  
"Oh yeah, sorry I kinda forgot that we are the same age. But of course, you know that if I'm gonna start teaching you that means you have to call me Master."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Dunno, some rules from the Tower that helps people learn discipline or something. Heh, it was one of the few rules I actually followed, so you'd have to do the same. Can't have you getting to the Tower and start calling them all by their real names, they'd kick you out in a second."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Ok, makes sense. That works for me, Master."  
  
Duo brushed the snow from his cloak and nodded. "All right then, first thing's first. If you're going to be around me you're going to learn a protection spell. Then, if by chance this curse thing does come up you'll know what to do to protect yourself." Duo turned over toward the trees and smirked. "Hey Hilde, you can come out now!"  
  
Hilde stepped out from behind one of the trees, her eyes wide. Quatre turned and looked at her in surprise.  
  
"How long have you been there?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Since he started telling his story," she admitted guiltily.  
  
"And you knew?" Quatre asked Duo.  
  
Duo nodded. "In any case, you can help us out with that huge sword of yours. Quatre, you know what my amulet looks like, right?"  
  
The boy nodded.  
  
"Good, now close your eyes and draw that shape in the air in front of you. Then, in your mind, picture a wall around yourself of protective material. Anything really strong will work, just picture it surrounding yourself and protecting you, got it?"  
  
Quatre nodded and did as he was told. Meanwhile Duo walked over to Hilde's side and grabbed the sword from her belt, sliding it out of the sheath before she could protest.  
  
"Hey! That's my father's sword!"  
  
"Relax! I'll return it in just a second. But first… Quatre, just remember one thing, no matter what nothing can break through your barrier, got that?"  
  
"Got it, Master," he responded without opening his eyes. Instead he just stood there, completely relaxed as the wind pulled at his cloak. Taking up the sword Duo charged, raising it high to strike. As he ran in Quatre opened his eyes and they widened in surprise. Raising his arms for protection he pictured the symbol like Duo had told him.  
  
Suddenly a large wall of energy flew up around Quatre, hitting Duo and sending him sailing backward toward Hilde. Duo dropped the sword to the ground and caught himself, landing in a crouch with a smile on his face. Quatre's eyes snapped open and he stared at the two in wonder.  
  
"It worked?" He asked quietly, in awe.  
  
"Course it did," Duo said, standing up and returning the sword to a very shocked Hilde. "Magic is simply visualization and that was a simple little trick. See, in actuality you tapped into my power to raise that shield, that's why I had you picture this symbol. By doing that you'll tap into the power of the closest person wearing this symbol. It'll work great until you figure out how to raise your own power."  
  
"Cool!" Quatre grinned happily and glanced to his friend. "Hilde, you ok?"  
  
Hilde nodded slowly, still trying to take in all she'd seen. "Yeah, I think so. I've never seen people use powers like that before, just a little shaken, that's all."  
  
Duo snickered and rubbed the back of his head. "Just be glad you weren't on the receiving end, your friend there packs quite a punch." He clapped her on the shoulder then walked past, heading back toward the city.  
  
"Wait," Quatre called, racing after him. "Master, where are you going?"  
  
"Back to the inn of course. I don't know about you but I'm hungry and if I don't get food soon I might consider eating one of you two."  
  
Quatre and Hilde paused for second then rushed after him toward the inn. The three walked happily back into town, Duo seeming to have forgotten most of his troubles.  
  
**  
  
Trowa materialized into sight at the edge of town and paused before starting down the road. He didn't wear a cloak like most, opting to stand out rather then to fit in for once. Instead he wore a long black shirt that fanned out around his legs, splitting down the front to reveal the black leggings he wore beneath. The amulet of the Tower of Fang hung from around his neck, glinting brightly in the day light. Turning his tracks he headed for the Winner Inn, his mission clear in his head.   
  
He was simply there to speak to an old friend.  
  
Pushing open the doors he found the inn quite lively, more so then it had been earlier. Many tables were full with people talking, most of whom had probably stopped in for a drink and a place to warm up before heading home. Trowa paused just inside the doorway and peered around the room, taking stock of those around him.   
  
Only three people in the inn caught his interest and he took a moment to look at all of them. Duo sat at the bar, sipping a drink as he chatted happily with the blond behind the counter. He seemed to be his normal, happy self, but Trowa knew he was most likely still worried about Heero. If he wasn't he wouldn't have left the Tower like he had a year ago. He knew, from his short time with Duo, that the boy always tried to be cheerful, even if deep inside something was slowly eating him away. That was just the way Duo acted.  
  
The other two which caught the sorcerer's interest were the blond boy behind the desk and the dark haired girl sitting next to Duo, wearing a rather large sword on her belt. Trowa raised an eyebrow as he noticed the old runes carved into the side of the hilt and curving down onto the hidden blade. Very interesting, he thought. He wondered if Duo had realized the markings and their meanings, but then knowing him he certainly did.   
  
Trowa's eyes settled last on the boy behind the corner, watching him closely. He wore a bright smile, much like Duo's, but his was more tender and caring in nature. And his eyes seemed to speak of wonders, clouds and dreams, high hopes for whatever lay ahead no matter how impossible the odds. A very interesting boy indeed. Dismissing the boy from his mind he started toward the bar, no time to worry about anything other than what he'd been assigned to do.  
  
Walking over to a table he sat down just behind Duo and his friends. He noticed the blond boy pause and the smile slip from his face as he saw the amulet around Trowa's neck.  
  
"Who's that?" He asked as Trowa took a seat calmly behind Duo.   
  
Duo turned and dropped his drink in surprise, his eyes narrowing as the glass shattered across the floor. From around the bar room several heads rose but most returned back to their business.  
  
"Trowa," Duo muttered venomously.   
  
Quatre swallowed and set down the cup in his hand, meanwhile Hilde turned to look at the new person.  
  
"Duo," Trowa said with the slightest inclination of his head.   
  
"You're Master send you to fetch me?" Duo asked, his voice taking on a teasing tone, almost as if he were daring the quiet boy to start a scene.  
  
Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps we should speak outside, I wouldn't want to raise a scene and hurt anyone here."  
  
At that Quatre's eyes grew wide.  
  
Duo stood up and nodded. "Accepted."  
  
"Master-"  
  
Duo shook his head. "Stay here, Quatre. I'll be back in a few minutes, Trowa and I just have a few things to discuss."  
  
"Indeed." Agreed Trowa as he stood up and followed Duo outside. Neither grabbed a cloak, both just simply walked out into the snow in silence, walking around to the large summer grazing field beyond for horses during the summer.  
  
"I don't' like this," Quatre said quietly, glancing at Hilde.  
  
"Go on after him, but stay out of sight. I'll watch things here."  
  
"Thanks Hilde!"  
  
Quatre raced out the door and Hilde walked around behind the counter. Sighing softly she went about cleaning up the glasses Quatre had been working on, hoping everything was ok outside.  
  
End part 2  



	5. Part 3

Part 3  
  
The two sorcerers stepped outside and faced each other, the cold wind moving over their bodies and tugging at their clothing. Duo ignored the chilly wind on his bare arms and face; it could be dealt with later. He had more important things to worry about at the moment, like the one facing him.  
  
Trowa stood silently, watching Duo yet also watching the world around him. He was always aware of everything, always aware and always ready. It was one of the many advantages of being silent and spending the majority of his life learning how to melt into the shadows where no one would notice him.  
  
"You've been following me since I left, haven't you?" Duo asked, his lips tilted at an amused grin. He wasn't about to let the other know how much he feared his silent powers.  
  
Trowa nodded. "We gave you time, a whole year. But I have now been instructed to bring you back."  
  
"By Treize?"  
  
"Yes, by Treize and the rest of the Tower. You are still a student, you still are subject to his rulings."  
  
Duo spit to the ground. "Like hell. I'm not about to go back there after what they did to Heero! What's to stop them from doing it to you next? Or to Milliardo? Or to any of the other countless people I know and care about in that Tower. No way, Trowa, I'm not going back."  
  
Trowa frowned slightly. "I have orders to bring you back, one way or another."  
  
A smirk slid across Duo face, he knew what was coming next. "You're welcome to try, old friend." Duo traced a shape quickly in the air and the snow around him began to glow. Trowa raised his hand, energy lighting up in his eyes.  
  
Trowa's attack hit only moments after Duo raised a protective wall of ice from the ground. Duo responded by jumping out of the way as the ice wall shattered into millions of razor sharp shards. Rolling across the snow he landed in a crouch, burying his hand in the snow until he found the icy earth beneath. Pulling his hand back out it now grasped a sword made of shimmering marble, pulled from the earth itself. Duo turned to face Trowa once again.  
  
"You know you can't beat me, old friend. We always hit a stalemate when Treize was teaching us."  
  
"I have my orders," Trowa repeated in a flat voice. Tracing his own shape in the air the sky above them began to churn. Duo took the chance and looked up to the clouds. His own eyes narrowed and he swore as he saw the clouds move to close over the setting sun, extinguishing the world into a darkness close to the middle of the night.  
  
"Cute illusion Trowa."  
  
The world around him was bathed in darkness, but he could still see his opponent. Holding his earth-made sword he faced the other boy, readying himself for the next attack. Yet Trowa didn't move, he just stood there.  
  
"I must take you back with me, Duo."  
  
"You already know my answer."  
  
Trowa shook his head sadly. The darkness grew darker, swirling in around them until all they could see was each other and the very faint outline of the inn. Duo's eyes flickered from Trowa to the darkness around him, he knew Trowa had something planned and he had to be ready for it. But he always had trouble reading Trowa's moves; the boy was so unpredictable in his precision.  
  
Suddenly a blast of bright light came from where Trowa was standing. Duo gave a cry as the light hit his eyes, causing his vision to momentarily disappear in a fiery blast of pain. Dropping his sword he shielded his eyes and blinked rapidly, forcing them to get used to the sudden change in atmosphere around him. But he wasn't fast enough, and that moment of pain and distraction was all Trowa needed. Trowa aimed a blast of energy at Duo and fired, not even blinking as the energy sailed toward his friend.  
  
However, just before it hit, a dark green wall of energy shot up around Duo, causing the blast to shatter and dissipate into nothing. Trowa blinked in surprise as the darkness around them faded and the blond from inside the inn raced to Duo's side.  
  
"Master! Are you ok?"  
  
Duo rubbed his head and blinked away the last of the burning red images on his eyes. "Yeah, thanks." His eyes flickered to Trowa and he readied himself for the next attack, glaring and practically challenging Trowa to continue the fight while an innocent bystander was involved.  
  
Trowa shook his head. The battle was over; he had more important things to worry about now. Like that boy. "You've taken an apprentice I see." Trowa said, stepping closer to them.  
  
Quatre's eyes narrowed at Trowa but Duo placed a hand on the blond's shoulder.   
  
"Don't worry, kid, the battle's over. It's a stalemate, as always."  
  
Trowa nodded.  
  
Quatre helped Duo stand up and the braided sorcerer regarded his opponent. "So what will you do now? What are you going to tell your Master?"  
  
Trowa shrugged. "My orders still stand. I will carry them out. We will meet again." Turning he walked off, heading down the road and past the houses. Duo leaned against Quatre, very visibly, until the boy lead him over to a crate near the stables.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Duo shook his head and took a few deep breaths, then he grinned at the boy. "Man, you do pack quite a punch, I've never seen one of his attacks deflected like that. But you gotta listen to me, Quatre. You can't go jumping in like that in the middle of a fight."  
  
"But you would have been hurt!"  
  
"No, he wouldn't have hurt me. Look, it's rules for magical battles, you don't interrupt, no matter what. The battle was between me and Trowa, you can't interfere and jump in. Besides that, you're still drawing power from me, remember? If he'd attacked after you made that shield we would have both been in big trouble. Power isn't endless; you near zapped it all out of me. You're lucky it was Trowa and not someone else, you could have gotten us both killed."  
  
Quatre hung his head and took a few steps back; watching the snow-covered ground in guilt. "Sorry, I was just trying to help."  
  
Duo grinned. "I'm not mad at you, Quatre. It was an honest mistake. I just need you to remember that for next time. When you use magic right now you take power from me, that's the dangerous part. Next time you try it I suggest standing closer to Trowa and then using his power, he would have really been thrown for a loop then."  
  
Quatre looked up and smiled, nodding happily. "All right, I'll remember that. But, he'll be coming back won't he?"  
  
"Not for a while. He has to go report into his Master first, no biggie. I'll be ready for him the next time he comes in." Duo struggled to his feet, catching himself against the wall until he was sure he could stand. Then he wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. "Can we get back inside? I can't exactly teach you magic if I'm a human ice-cube."  
  
Quatre giggled and nodded. Both headed back into the inn.  
  
**  
  
A couple weeks went by with nothing too eventful. Duo stayed around the inn, gathering what information he could from the people in the town, asking if any of them had seen someone of Heero's description. Most of the time he felt pretty helpless because he was getting absolutely no where, but he kept grinning. He wasn't about to give up on the search; he'd find Heero, dammit! Even if it took him another year!  
  
During the time he wasn't asking the people around the town he was teaching Quatre magic. It only took a couple of days for Quatre to discover his own source of energy to tap from, and he stopped drawing it from Duo while he was learning and practicing. Following the rules of the school Duo made Quatre swear to never tell the symbol he pictured when he drew his power, or where he drew it from. This was a safety precaution for all sorcerers, for if anyone else got word of where you got your power they could block or completely destroy that power source, thus rendering the poor sorcerer helpless.   
  
Quatre was a quick learner and was soon doing many things from instinct, learning the symbols and spells with ease. Though Duo taught him slowly, making sure that he didn't get too much knowledge. He didn't want the Masters of the Tower to appear one night and steal Quatre away because of his newfound talents, which they had a habit of doing. In fact, if he had any say in the matter, Quatre would be his apprentice and never need to go to the Tower. He wasn't about to give them another student to abuse the way they had him, and he certainly wasn't about to give them a trump card to use against him. Because, in spite of himself, he'd become really good friends with Hilde and Quatre and wasn't about to let anyone hurt them. Quatre was more then his apprentice, they were equals, despite Quatre's continuos insistence of calling him Master even when he didn't need to anymore.  
  
"Here you go, Master." Quatre slid the strawberry drink down the bar and went back to cleaning the dishes.  
  
Duo took the drink and tried a sip, then shook his head. "You know, kid, you don't need to call me that anymore. You know how to get your own power and-" he paused to take another drink, then decided to just let the sentence stand as it was, unfinished.  
  
"You said it yourself," Quatre said, placing a cleaned glass on the shelf above the bar. "I better get used to the habit now or I'll get into trouble when I get to the Tower. It's not a big deal, I just think of it more as a name."  
  
Duo sighed softly. "Yeah and every time I hear it I'm reminded of that jerk who I used to call Master."  
  
Quatre paused and glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see a frown on Duo's face or some depressed look, but instead found the braided sorcerer was sipping his drink with a grin on his face, as usual. The blond gave a silent laugh and shook his head. Was Duo ever serious about anything? Did that grin ever leave his face? Not that it was a bad thing, he just swore he'd never seen anyone smile so much.  
  
Silence carried on for a few moments more, with Quatre cleaning and Duo simply sitting in his seat listening to the conversations around him. All around them the inn was lively with people talking of their day. The snow was finally melting away and almost completely gone, a testament to the hot season heading their way. Everyone spoke of the coming weather and preparations for the fields or other seasonal activities.   
  
The conversations were stopped though as a small group of three villagers burst through the door. They looked around worriedly, their eyes going straight to Quatre. They pushed their ways past the tables to where Quatre stood behind the counter. The blond boy set down his glass and cloth and watched them quietly.  
  
"Hey kid," one of them said sitting down. "There's rumors that a sorcerer or something hangs out here, you know him?"  
  
Quatre's eyes flickered to Duo, who gave a slow nod.   
  
"You're sitting right next to him," Duo said quietly, not looking up from his drink.  
  
One of the other men raised an eyebrow. "You kidding? You're younger then my daughter, how could you be a sorcerer?"  
  
Duo glanced up and pulled his amulet into view, the light from the room glinting off the silver. His violet eyes shifted from one man to the other, settling on the one who'd sat down, their leader. "We don't generally do jobs, we're not usually for hire."  
  
"You gotta help!" Pleaded the smaller one who'd remained silent until now. "There's a dragon on the edge of the town, he stomped out my entire field."  
  
Duo set down his drink and just glanced at the guy, then broke out laughing. "A dragon? Oh man! You've got to be kidding me! What do you think this is, some child's fantasy story? There hasn't been a dragon sighting for hundreds of years and now one just decides to go tromping around on your fields? Are you insane, I think you drank a little too much."  
  
By now all the tables in the inn were silent, listening in. One of them set down his glass on the table, hard. "Funny. I heard dragons were as rare as the children of Shinigami."  
  
Duo turned around sharply and eyed the man silently.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you are." He said, downing the rest of his drink. "The dragon's most likely here from your cursed existence. We'd be better off kicking you out of town, then it'd leave us alone."  
  
"Hey! You don't know that-" Quatre yelled angrily but Duo raised a hand to silence him, standing up from his seat.  
  
"Even if it is a dragon, old man, it ain't gonna listen to me. But what the heck, I'll go look, which way are your fields?"  
  
"To the north of town, past the brewery."  
  
Duo nodded and headed for the door. Quatre raced to the back and yelled to his father that he was heading out then ran after Duo. "Master! Wait up!"  
  
Stepping outside of the inn Duo turned and looked straight at Quatre with serious eyes. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to come along."  
  
Quatre smirked. "Too bad. I can't let my Master walk off without me. Besides, what if it's that guy from the Tower again? I'm not letting you walk off when I'm not sure if you're going to come back."  
  
"I'm coming too!"  
  
Both boys turned to see Hilde racing toward them, clutching onto the large sword on her belt tightly, so it didn't throw her off balance.   
  
"I want to see this dragon."  
  
Duo laughed and shook his head. "All right, fine. But if it does turn out to be a dragon you two stay back and Quatre you get to use your shield to protect both of you, got it? I'll take care of it."  
  
"Got it!" Quatre replied happily.  
  
And so the three set off.  
  
As they walked to the north, toward the fields where the dragon had been spotted Duo's eyes traveled to the moon above. He didn't even realize what time of year it was, but right there above him was the full moon, red as blood. Duo swore under his breath and shook his head.  
  
Oh great. Well bloody happy birthday to me. Looks like I'm fifteen, he thought angrily. Shoving his hands in his pockets he started to walk a bit slower. He had a bad feeling about this. His birthday was never a good day.  
  
End of Part 3  
  
**  



	6. Part 4

Part 4  
  
The group of three neared the fields as the last of the sunset was disappearing. The moon glared brightly in the sky, a bright red light cast upon the earth. Duo walked silently, his eyes darting to the moon as it disappeared and reappeared behind the clouds. He watched the fields around him, frowning deeply as he felt the powers of nature dance around him.   
  
"Bloody well figures," he murmured angrily.  
  
Quatre raised an eyebrow then glanced up at the moon, noting its red color. "Is that a bad thing?"  
  
Duo nodded, stopping at the edge of the fields, his eyes moving straight to where they melted into high mountains. He could already see the large footprints in the edge of the field, crushed into the snow and mostly visible ground. "It means you and Hilde better stay pretty far back from me and whatever else is out here."  
  
"Why is that?" Hilde asked, stepping up beside them.  
  
"I'm a Child of Shinigami, I tend to be a little more powerful and a little more unpredictable this time of the year." Duo smirked. "Last time it was my birthday and the moon was full I blew up the kitchen, and all I did was glance at the stove."  
  
Hilde gave a low whistle. "Note taken," she replied quietly. "So, umm, what do we do if it is a dragon? I don't see anything."  
  
Duo frowned deeply. "It's here," he crouched just slightly. "It's watching us."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened and he took a step back.  
  
"Quatre, stay back with Hilde and if anything even looks your way use your protection spell as a shield."  
  
Quatre nodded and backed away with Hilde to a tree sitting just at the edge of the fields. Duo, meanwhile, started to walk forward. He moved into the fields, and stopped cold as the wind around him rose up. Cold air pulled at his clothing and he let his cloak fall to the ground, knowing it would only hinder his movements. As he walked into the middle of the field he let his hands lay out open, collecting the rising energy from the earth and the moon. His bright violet eyes darted over the landscape, looking for any sign of the dragon, he found very little.   
  
About near the middle of the field was a dead cow, or rather what was left of one. Dead flesh clung to the smooth bones, stretching out to the ground with muscle and fat. Only the cow's head was left intact, Duo glanced away quickly before he got sick.   
  
He could remember the texts in the school about dragons; they were an ancient breed of great animals and used to be controlled by sorcerers. In fact the last living dragon that anyone had ever heard of had died in the very spot where the Tower of Fang now stood. All students were taught that dragons were to be respected and left alone, but at the same time shouldn't come near human cities. Duo was not eager to face one of the creatures Milliardo had told him so much about; in fact he was downright terrified.  
  
The ground around him seemed to shift and he heard Hilde give a cry of surprise from far behind him. Looking upward he saw a long scaled head move out from behind one of the mountains. It moved its head around, its eyes moving toward Hilde and Quatre. Duo frowned deeply; the thing was huge if its head was any indication! He swallowed as the head moved and the large blue eyes locked on him.  
  
Moving slowly the large creature crept out from behind the mountain, moving straight toward Duo on all four legs. Icy blue scales matched the cobalt blue eyes and for a moment all Duo could do was stare at it. If he weren't so afraid of the creature it would have been a magnificent sight. On shaky legs Duo took a few steps back, his mind whirling.  
  
Blue.   
  
Ice blue.  
  
That meant this dragon controlled ice and cold.  
  
Above in the sky the clouds moved away from the moon and the bright red light shone down, giving the dragon a violet tint. How appropriate, Duo thought icily. Moving his hands together he started to draw his shape in the air, readying for an attack. As his mind tried to think of some binding spell he happened to glance at the ground around the dragon, particularly at the dragon's shadow.  
  
Duo's eyes widened and he felt his knees grow weak. "Oh shit," he choked out as he desperately fought to keep his balance.  
  
The shadow on the ground, cast by the moon, wasn't large and bulky like the body of the dragon. Rather it was tall but thin, a willowy build resembling that of a human. A human with ruffled short hair.  
  
Duo's eyes locked on the dragon's he shook his head.   
  
No! It couldn't be!  
  
But it was! The creature before him, with the strange disfigured shadow, even had the right color eyes. He'd never forget that color for as long as he lived, no matter what creature had it. The dragon before him was his friend.  
  
"Heero!?"  
  
The dragon didn't respond, it only stood there quietly, watching Duo as if it were waiting for an attack. After it realized that Duo wasn't going to do anything it turned its attention to Quatre and Hilde across the field. Duo watched as the dragon began to move toward them.  
  
"Heero!" He called out again, hoping that if it was really him it would respond.  
  
But instead the dragon only moved faster, its long bat-like wings spreading.   
  
Duo swore as the creature launched itself into the sky and headed straight for the other two. Quatre's shield flew up almost immediately, with Hilde cowering near him, shaking in fear. Duo sprinted across the field, yelling as loud as he could.  
  
"Stay away from them!" Raising his hand he fired a small bolt of light, straight at the dragon's back flank.   
  
The creature turned its head and glared at him, puffing cold air through its nostrils in a threat, then turned back to Hilde and Quatre.  
  
"I said…" Duo closed his eyes and centered himself, picturing the bright red moon above him glowing darkly with a deep red light. "STAY AWAY!"   
  
The moon above shimmered with dark red light, then a bright beam shot down and hit the dragon, causing it to growl angrily and back away, its eyes narrowing as it turned to face Duo.  
  
Duo's eyes snapped open and he smirked quietly. "Yeah, that got your attention, didn't it?" Duo raised his arms and faced the dragon, ready for another attack. "Heero or not, you're not getting anywhere near them. Got that?"  
  
The dragon snorted, almost as if in response, but didn't turn away from Duo. Instead it reared up on its hind legs and jumped forward, forcing Duo to dive to the side to avoid being squished into a pancake. Duo rolled onto the ground and came back up only to be slapped down again by the dragon's tail. He landed hard on the ground, his body crying out in pain as the dragon reared up to slam into him again.  
  
"Master!"   
  
Duo forced his eyes open just in time to see a wall of bright green light fly up around him, obviously from Quatre. The dragon's foot slammed into the wall of energy and it literally cracked, shattering into nothing. Yet the distraction still gave Duo enough time to roll out of the way. He landed beside the fence around the field, the dragon blocking his view of Hilde and Quatre. Spitting the dirt from his mouth he forced himself to stand.  
  
He left his hand on the ground and power surged through his arm, into the ground beneath his feet. Just as he had in the battle with Trowa he pulled a long thick blade of marble from the earth and whirled to face the dragon. Though this time the blade wasn't just marble, it was edged with razor sharp obsidian that gleamed in the moonlight. This time the blade was deadly. This time he meant business.  
  
Duo growled angrily at the dragon and jumped forward, slamming the blade into his front leg. The dragon cried out in pain and hissed angrily, kicking Duo away in defense.  
  
"Get the hint and leave before I have to end up killing you, damn it!"  
  
The dragon lowered its head and charged at Duo, straight for the blade. Duo raised it and readied himself to strike at the dragon's eye, when the dragon's tail whipped around and caught him in the back. Duo was sent flying, the blade falling from his hands and his body bouncing limply across the ground.  
  
"MASTER!"  
  
"DUO!"  
  
He didn't respond, he just simply lay there in the light snow and dead ground, not moving as the blood started to flow from the wound on the side of his head. Quatre and Hilde raced toward him but the dragon beat them, seizing Duo in his claws. The two could only watch helplessly as the dragon beat its wings and soared into the sky, disappearing past the mountains and into the night.  
  
**  
  
The sound of water trickling down the side of a stone wall was the first sound Duo heard upon waking. Immediately his eyes snapped open and he peered around, his breath catching. Where in the world was he? Without moving he surveyed his surroundings as best he could. A thick set of scaly claws was wrapped around his body, holding him pinned to the ground, as the dragon around him breathed heavily, obviously sleeping. They were in some strange cave, large enough for the dragon, yet apparently still deep inside a mountain because it was warm and he couldn't see any light from outside. He could barely make out the walls of the cave and hear the sounds of running water, if the cave had an opening it was a long ways away.  
  
Trying a small test Duo wiggled in the dragon's grasp, then froze. The dragon only snorted then went back to breathing normally, Duo cursed silently. Damn, the dragon was a light sleeper, which meant that if he tried to get away it would wake up and probably kill him before he had any chance to get away. Resigning himself to his fate until he came up with a better solution Duo gave a loud, exasperated sigh and tapped his fingers on the hard stone ground, trying to stir some plan in his head. He had no idea how to get away and certainly didn't feel up to fighting this dragon again.  
  
As he lay there, pinned by the dragon's claws, he noticed a strange smell in the air. It was sweet, almost like fresh rain. Duo closed his eyes and relaxed, letting his mind drift past his body. He'd never been really good at travelling around without his body, Treize was right in the middle of that lesson when Duo left, but he could still travel a little ways. Letting his breathing become slow he reached toward the opening of the cave. He neared the opening of the cave and had to blink rapidly as he faced the bright sun rising into the sky as the moon dipped below the horizon.  
  
Morning. He was smelling the dew on the ground. The first signs of summer moving toward them, and the last of the snow melting away into the streams and rivers. Duo smirked and slid backward into the cave, settling back in his body and then opening his real eyes to once again stare at the dull cave wall.  
  
"Wake up already and let me go, or at least turn over in your sleep or something. My legs are starting to fall asleep," Duo grumbled as he glared at the dragon.  
  
Sunlight seeped into the cave, just barely, and lit up the wall. Duo watched the small lines of light move through the cave and cross the dragon. Suddenly a strange red light sparkled over the creature and its shape began to shift. Duo held his breath as the dragon above and around him began to shrink, mist swirling around its body and filling the cave. Duo blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes. He gasped as the entire scene took place.  
  
Icy blue scales melted away to reveal a strange cocoon-like thing in the center of the cave, which continued to shrink and almost unwrap itself. Long silvery strands melted away to reveal a small human shape, curled into a tight ball. The silver strings blew away like thin cobwebs and eventually there was just one thing left in the room, a young boy. A young boy with messy brown hair that fell gracefully over his smooth and perfect face. Duo's breath caught in his throat and he gave a small hiccup. Crawling to his hands and knees he reached toward the boy tentatively, almost afraid to touch him.   
  
His hands met with soft skin, smooth and perfect to the touch. He remembered that skin, oh he remembered it so well! Duo swallowed as the boy stirred, his eyes finally opening to reveal the final clue.   
  
Bright cobalt blue. The color of the deepest blue flames in the center of a large bonfire.  
  
Duo felt close to tears. Unable to hold himself back he jumped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around the boy. "HEERO!" He cried happily as tears slipped down his cheeks.  
  
The boy looked around in confusion and his eyes finally settled on the one holding him. His voice was scratchy, as if he'd just woken up from a long sleep. "D-Duo?"  
  
"I can't believe it's you! I never thought I'd find you again after the night you left! Oh man I missed you so much!" Duo hugged Heero tighter until the boy gave a small cry of pain, which caused Duo to slowly let go and back away.   
  
For a long moment the two boys just sat there, staring at each other in wonder. Tears flowed lightly down Duo's face and Heero's eyes were wide, just staring with confusion. Slowly, and reluctantly, their eyes broke contact and they looked over each other.  
  
The first thing Heero noticed was that Duo wasn't dressed in the normal cloak he was used to from the Tower of Fang. Instead his former roommate wore a pair of tight black pants and a thin gray shirt. A matching black vest hung over his shoulders while a red bandanna wove around his forehead and through his thick hair, which was pulled into a messy braid. Heero noted he still wore the amulet from the Tower, and that sight almost made him flinch as the memories came rushing back.  
  
"What are you doing here, Duo?" He asked quietly.  
  
"I've been looking for you since the day you left! I thought I'd never find you. And I certainly didn't expect you to be a dragon."  
  
Heero froze and his eyes widened, a shiver running down his back. "A… what?"  
  
"A dragon." Duo repeated slowly. "You know, big lizard with razor sharp teeth and one heck of a nasty tail." Duo rubbed the back of his head, which still hurt from the blows he'd received the night before.  
  
"A dragon," Heero whispered softly. His eyes drifted down to stare at his empty hands and naked body.   
  
"You don't remember, do you?"   
  
Heero shook his head. "The last thing I remember is stumbling out into the snow, leaving the Tower far behind as my body started to hurt. I remember collapsing and the pain becoming unbearable… then I woke up here, with you." Heero's eyes traveled up and met with Duo's again.  
  
Duo blinked in confusion. "Heero. You left the Tower a year ago."  
  
"A year." Heero repeated the words softly, closing his eyes. He drew in a shuddering breath and nodded slowly. "Duo, was there a red moon last night?"  
  
"Yeah. Heh, it's my birthday, and this is the best gift I could have ever gotten!" Duo moved forward to wrap his arms around Heero again but the boy stopped him, an emotionless and dead expression crossing his face.   
  
Duo frowned and backed off. "Heero? What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
"You need to seal me away, in this cave Duo. Before the sun sets tonight."  
  
Duo jumped to his feet and stared at his friend. "What?! Are you crazy? Why would I do a thing like that?"  
  
"Because if you don't I'm going to turn back into a dragon tonight. I'm sure of it. I don't remember shifting into one, which means that I have no control in that form. I have no idea what I'll do." Heero stood up and locked a death-glare with Duo. "You need to seal me away before it happens again."  
  
"No! Not a chance! You don't know that you'll turn back, and even if you do there's got to be a counter-spell. Remember? Everything has a counter-spell. Everything can be fixed and turned around, back to normal, no matter how strong the magic. I just have to find it and turn you back and then-"  
  
Duo stopped as Heero placed a light finger on his lips. "Duo, don't."  
  
"But… I just found you! And now you want me to seal you away like some demon? I won't do it Heero!"  
  
Heero moved forward, his hand catching Duo's chin lightly, pulling the boy's face toward him. He paused for only a second before capturing Duo's lips in a soft kiss, tender and sweet. Duo blinked in surprise but gave no protest; instead he kissed back gently, allowing Heero's tongue into his mouth. The two kissed, their hands slowly coming up to wrap around the other's waist, as their tongues danced and tasted every bit of the warm mouth pressed against there's. Duo's eyes slid shut and he became lost in the taste of Heero, obsessed with tasting every corner of his mouth, even as he felt the small tear slide off Heero's cheek and onto his own.  
  
After what seemed like the sweetest eternity Heero broke off the kiss, pulling back slowly so he could look into Duo's eyes. Duo's tears had dried, while a single wet line crossed down Heero's cheek. Heero took a slow breath, calming himself.  
  
"You have to, Duo." He whispered softly, his voice a mere breeze against the cave walls.  
  
Duo shook his head rapidly.   
  
"Duo, please."  
  
"I can't."  
  
Heero reached forward and lightly touched the dried clump of blood staining Duo's hair. Duo winced as he felt those fingers touch the tender spot on his head. He'd forgotten about the head wound, and it hadn't mattered really, least not until now.  
  
"I did this to you, didn't I?" Heero asked softly.  
  
Duo's heart jumped into his throat and he looked away. He didn't want to tell Heero the truth, but he was right. "It wasn't your fault," he whispered feebly.  
  
"If you don't seal me, and I turn back, I may do worse."  
  
Duo bit his lip.  
  
"Duo." Heero caught Duo's chin once more and this time turned him so the two were facing each other. "Please, love, you have to seal me away. Lock me in the cave, so when I turn back I can't hurt you or anyone else. You and I both know you have the power to."  
  
Duo's lips trembled and he moved forward, burying his head against Heero's chest as he hugged the boy tightly. "I don't want to lose you again."  
  
Heero smiled softly and ran a hand over the boy's braid. "I'll be right here, until you come back with the counter-spell."  
  
Swallowing hard Duo nodded. Taking a deep breath he forced himself to pull away from Heero's arms and step away from the boy, toward the mouth of the cave. "We can't just spend the day together, can we?"  
  
Heero shook his head. "I don't know when I'll turn back. You have to make the seal now, while you can."  
  
"All right." Duo took another slow step backward, closer to the entrance of the cave. He forced himself to keep moving until he was completely out of the cave, standing in the bright sunlight. Closing his eyes and drawing a deep breath he called upon his symbol of power, the shining red moon that was his birthmark. Calming his breathing he traced the outline of the cave in his mind, purple energy flowing from his hands to lace across the opening.  
  
Heero stepped toward the opening, watching silently as the power flowed from Duo and wove its way, blocking him off from the rest of the world. The purple energy moved in veins down the insides of the cave, reinforcing the sealing spell into the mountain itself, until the entire cave seemed to pulsate with Duo's power. Then the purple glow slowly faded away and Duo dropped to his knees, the cave sealed and his powers considerably tapped.  
  
Sadly Heero raised his hand and reached for Duo, his skin meeting with an invisible barrier that felt like the coldest ice. Duo looked up and blinked back tears as he saw his friend standing there, trapped away from the world.  
  
"I'm sorry, Heero." He said quietly.  
  
Heero nodded and flashed a light smile, meant as a sign of comfort. "I love you," he mouthed quietly.  
  
Duo hugged himself tightly and nodded. Stepping up to the invisible barrier he leaned his forehead against it and closed his eyes. Slowly Heero moved forward and placed a kiss there, as if there were glass separating them but Duo could still feel it.  
  
Taking a deep breath Duo steadied himself and stood, wiping the tears from his eyes. A grin crossed his face and he took a step back. "Just you wait, I'll be back before you know it and then you'll be back to normal and we can go kick Treize's ass for what he did to you."  
  
Heero smiled softly and nodded. "I'll be waiting."  
  
Nodding to himself and to Heero, Duo turned and raced away from the mountain, heading back toward the town before he broke down again. Heero watched from his new silent prison until Duo's figure disappeared from sight, then he turned and went to sit in the corner of the cave.  
  
He knew Duo would be back but he suspected he wouldn't be human to recognize him. Hugging himself tightly he shivered, but not from lack of clothing. He shivered at himself. An entire year lost to his mind? What had he done in his cursed form? Who had he hurt? Who had he killed?  
  
And even worse.   
  
What would happen when he turned back?  
  
End of Part 4  
  



	7. Part 5

Part 5  
  
It was about noon before Duo finally made it back to the inn. His entire body ached from the frenzied run and the wound on his head had reopened so blood moved down the side of his body. By the time he got to the inn he was practically running on autopilot, just moving and not caring where. All he could think about was Heero and how he'd locked him away. How he was responsible for everything and the look on Heero's face when the seal had been put in place. And the kiss. The kiss still tingled on his lips.  
  
It took all his strength of will to not turn around and go back to Heero.   
  
When he reached the inn he stepped in through the doors and immediately crashed to the ground, his mind refusing to work anymore. He fell, taking a table and a chair with him, and hit the floor, going unconscious from exhaustion.  
  
At the noise the only person in the room looked up, Quatre's father.  
  
"Can I help- stars! Quatre!" He immediately dropped his rag and raced to the bottom of the stairs. "Quatre!"  
  
The blond came racing down the stairs a few moments later, his loose night robe barely closed around his body. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and blinked. "Master?!"  
  
"Help me get him to a bed, he's bleeding something fierce."  
  
Quatre nodded and helped his father move Duo up the stairs to the room which had become his. They laid him in the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin and Quatre's father cleaned and bandaged the cut on his head while Quatre started a fire.  
  
"Is he ok?" Quatre asked, twisting the edges of his night robe between his hands.  
  
Quatre's father nodded. "He just looks like a tired traveler. I'd wager he'll be awake soon and walking around in no time. But that wound on his head looks pretty nasty so I could be wrong." Quatre's father stood up and frowned. "Take care of him Quatre, I'll handle the inn for today."  
  
Quatre smiled. "Thanks."  
  
His father nodded and left, leaving Quatre alone in the room with the sleeping sorcerer. The blond boy grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to Duo's bed and sat down, watching him sleep quietly. He'd seen the wound on Duo's head and knew it was pretty bad, not to mention that he'd seen the beating Duo took from the dragon the night before. Truth be told he was quite afraid that the sorcerer wouldn't wake up after a fight like that and finally decided he had to do something. Or at least try to.  
  
Quatre closed his eyes and drew his chosen symbol in the air, drawing the power toward him. Reaching forward slowly he laid his fingers on Duo's forehead and opened his eyes, concentrating on letting the energy move over Duo's body in light, soothing waves. He had no idea if it would work, Duo had never taught him how to heal anyone, but he figured it was worth a try. The energy moved slowly over Duo's body, pooling near his cut and bruises, collecting there and shimmering.  
  
Duo jerked once and hissed in pain, causing Quatre's eyes to widen in fear. But then the sorcerer's body relaxed and the energy faded into him, leaving only a dull green light which pulsating in time to his heart beat in the wounded places. Quatre swallowed and waited as he watched the bruises fade to normal colored skin. Eventually the power melted away leaving Duo simply just lying there. His expression was more relaxed though, as was his body.   
  
Reaching forward Quatre carefully unwrapped the bandage around Duo's head, seeking to see what was underneath. When he had completely unwrapped it his eyes widened. The cut was gone! In its place was completely mended skin that showed no sign of ever having been cut or bleeding.   
  
"Quatre?"  
  
Quatre blinked in surprise to see Duo's eyes were open and the sorcerer gave a great yawn, pulling the blankets closer around him. His violet eyes moved around the room in confusion.  
  
"You're awake," Quatre said with a smile. "You stumbled into the inn about an hour ago and lost consciousness."  
  
Duo lifted his hand and tentatively reached for the wound on his forehead, only to find the skin completely mended. He sat up and looked at Quatre with one of the strangest expressions. "Learning new tricks I see? Just how did you manage to heal me?"  
  
Quatre shrugged. "I don't know, I just tried it. Something in the back of my mind said it might work."  
  
"Yeah, well it worked, perfectly." Duo looked over the rest of his body and grinned as he found there wasn't a single bruise or scratch anywhere. In fact this was the most energized he'd felt in a long time. Standing up from the bed he stretched and gave another yawn, grinning widely. "Dang Quatre, you should start up a business. I feel like I could run a marathon."  
  
Quatre giggled.   
  
Suddenly the door to the room flew open, Hilde racing in with a look of worry. Her eyes immediately locked on Duo and widened. "You're ok!"  
  
Duo chuckled. "And why wouldn't I be? Oh please, tell me you guys had a higher view of me then that! A sorcerer from the Tower of Fang doesn't die that easily."  
  
"So what happened to you? The last we saw you were getting your butt kicked and were taken by the dragon. Did you beat him? What really cool spell did you use?"  
  
Duo frowned slightly. "Well, not exactly."  
  
"What happened?" Quatre asked quietly. "Was it your friend?"  
  
Duo's frown deepened and he sat back down on the bed, dropping his head so his eyes were shaded by his bangs. "Yeah, it was Heero," he replied softly. Closing his eyes he drew in a deep breath, clearly remembering the look on Heero's face as the binding wall grew up around him in the cave. Duo clenched his fists and pushed the images away.  
  
Hilde stepped forward and placed a hand on Duo's shoulder, causing the sorcerer to look up in surprise. She smiled lightly.  
  
"He was cursed right? It's just a spell right?"  
  
Violet eyes flickered to Quatre, who was now leaning back in his chair thinking. Duo nodded slowly. "Why? What's going on in that head of yours?"  
  
"Well, can't spells be reversed?"  
  
Duo nodded. "All spells have a counter spell, it's just a matter of finding it. But this is more complicated, I have to find the counter spell when I don't even know what spell was used on him in the first place, which makes it even harder."  
  
"But…" Quatre frowned and glanced up at Hilde. "Where do they keep the spells in the Tower of Fang? I mean, how do people keep them?"  
  
Hilde's eyes widened slightly as did Duo's. "You're talking about spell books aren't you, Quatre?" The female warrior asked.   
  
The blond nodded.  
  
Duo chuckled softly. "That's it, we really should switch positions here. First you heal me without any instruction, and now you come up with the answer that should have been so obvious… I feel like I should be your apprentice!"  
  
Red flushed across Quatre's cheeks and he quickly looked away.  
  
Duo directed his attention to Hilde, recognizing Quatre's embarrassment. "Is there a place in town with various books?"  
  
Hilde nodded and grinned. "The Scribes' Shop. The owner, Wufei, is a collector of lots of rare books and written things. If you're going to find a spell book anywhere, that's where you'd have to look."  
  
Jumping out of the bed Duo grinned happily. "Thanks for the advice guys, I'm gonna go check out that shop."  
  
Quatre looked up and watched the sorcerer race out of the room and down the stairs. "He wasn't kidding about being able to run a marathon," he murmured.  
  
"Think we should go help him look?" Hilde asked, fingering the hilt of her sword.  
  
Quatre shook his head. "We wouldn't know what to look for, we'd only add to his current frustration. I'm going to go help my father downstairs and listen around, maybe someone will mention something at one of the tables that will help us."  
  
"Not a bad idea. Think I'll join you."  
  
**  
  
Dark blue eyes moved around the room as the tall man stepped inside. He immediately wrinkled his nose at the putrid smell. Filthy humans, humans who didn't bother to bath and keep themselves as clean as a sorcerer of good taste would. It was a wonder that he could even walk into the town, much less bring himself to enter one of their unsanitary buildings. Given the choice he would have raced right back to the Tower, content to sit in his office and instruct his students, this filthy and disgusting human town wasn't worth his time, normally. However today things were different, today he had business with them.  
  
As soon as he entered the inn he noticed the young blond boy behind the counter raise his head and they locked eyes. Quatre's eyes narrowed just the slightest as he spotted the amulet around the man's neck and the man smiled, yes, this was the boy he was looking for. Leaving the door to shut behind him he dismissed his disgust and moved to the bar, taking a seat next to the girl with the sword. The man smirked softly as he glanced at the sword, it appeared to be what he sought.  
  
"Can I help you?" the girl asked in an annoyed voice. Her black eyes glared at the man as he studied her sword. She made no attempt to be subtle about turning in her chair so the sword and hilt were out of his reach.  
  
"I was just admiring your sword, it is a beautiful piece of work."  
  
"Not for sale," she murmured, taking a sip from her drink, but her eyes never left him.  
  
The blond boy moved toward them, just standing close by but doing nothing more. The man glanced at the boy. "Yes, I am from the Tower." A slight incline of his head in greeting. "Master Treize at your service."  
  
The glass Quatre had been holding slid out of his hand and shattered across the floor. Beside the man Hilde jumped to her feet, her hand ready on the hilt of her sword. She eyed him carefully, watching his every move as Quatre backed away from him. All around them the bar started to slowly empty, the patrons not being stupid. They knew when to leave, and now was definitely a good time. Soon only those three were left in the room, just watching each other, not daring to take their eyes away for a moment.  
  
"If you're looking for Duo, he's not here," Quatre spoke softly, attempting to keep his voice steady.  
  
Treize smirked lightly. "If my business were with the boy I would be speaking with him at the moment. However, it was my wish to meet you two. His apprentice and his warrior friend."  
  
Hilde growled and tightened her grip on her sword. "What do you want?"  
  
"Merely to see your sword and speak with you."  
  
"The only thing you're going to see of my sword," Hilde hissed menacingly. "Is its point in your chest if you get any closer."  
  
"That, I very much doubt, dear girl."  
  
Quatre bit his lip. "So you want to talk, then talk. We're listening right now."  
  
Treize shook his head lightly. "No, this is not the best place." With those words his hand moved quickly, reaching out and grasping Quatre's wrist. Quatre's eyes widened in surprise as a burst of silverish energy shot up his arm and his body turned numb. Before he was able to even make a sound of protest, his world turned to darkness and he crumbled to the ground.  
  
"Quatre!" Hilde charged forward, drawing her sword and ready to strike the sorcerer, but he simply raised his hand and her sword hit an invisible barrier, and she was sent flying against the wall. Hilde shook away her dizziness and clutched her sword. As she forced herself to stand she watched Treize walk around the counter and gently pick up Quatre's limp body. Raising her sword she leveled it with the man's neck. "Put. Him. Down."  
  
"Young lady, you are in no position to order me around. I hold the boy in my arms and with a mere thought I could kill him or worse. I believe if anyone will be giving orders it will be me." To add to his point he sent a small surge of energy into Quatre's body, causing the boy to cry out softly, though he was unconscious, the pain obvious on his face.  
  
Hilde's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Leave him alone."  
  
"Then accompany us, if you will."   
  
Treize reached out one hand toward Hilde, in a non-threatening manner, beckoning for her to take it. Her eyes moved from the hand to Quatre, who was still being held in the man's other arm, so close to danger. Cursing softly she sheathed her sword back in her belt.  
  
"Don't hurt him," she snarled.  
  
"Of course not. As long as you two cooperate there is no need."  
  
Hilde frowned deeply and reached forward, placing her hand in Treize's. As soon as their skin touched a strong wind tugged around them, and she felt like she was being thrown off the side of a cliff. Hilde felt her mind cloud and she fought to keep her eyes open, but it was no use. Her world drifted away, and her last thought was not to let go of her father's sword.  
  
**  
  
"Any luck?"  
  
Duo glanced down from his perch atop the old wooden ladder to see the raven haired shop owner. He shook his head and closed the book in his lap, replacing it on the shelf between the other dusty books. Sighing he climbed down a few steps then jumped to the floor and brushed the dust from his shirt. Wufei offered him a steaming cup of tea, waiting patiently for his answer, Duo took is gratefully.  
  
"You've got a lot of cool books, that's for sure, but none that will help me. Most of them are history tomes and not a single spell, not even hidden in code."   
  
Wufei sipped his drink and nodded slowly, pausing only to push his loose hair back behind his ear. "As is to be expected. The Tower confiscates most magical tomes every year, it is a crime for any to keep them, much less put them on display."  
  
Duo took another drink and sighed loudly. "Yeah, and then they toss them in a locked room in the Tower, not even the students are allow to see them." Setting the drink down he moved toward another set of shelves, but paused in mid-step, glancing back over his shoulder at the young scribe. "Did you say 'most'?"  
  
The man simply raised an eyebrow and shrugged.  
  
Duo spun around. "You have another book? A banned one?" He asked excitedly.  
  
Wufei nodded slowly. "I do not know if it will help, but it could. Come this way."  
  
Wufei led the sorcerer to a back room of the scribe shop, hidden behind a couple of old crates and a old rotting door. When Duo had first arrived neither had asked any questions, Wufei immediately acknowledging that the boy's amulet meant he didn't need to be asked questions. Only after watching him search the shelves for hours had he finally decided to mention the forbidden book he owned. He knew he was taking a chance, since if the Tower found out they would burn it and him, but this boy seemed sincere. Not to mention that he acted nothing like the other sorcerers Wufei had met in his time. This boy had honest intentions and a kind heart, his aura told Wufei so.  
  
Stepping in the room and locking the door behind them, Wufei knelt down and pulled out an old wooden box lined covered with protective metal grating. Unfastening the locks he lifted an ancient leather bound book and handed it to Duo with steady hands. Duo frowned and dropped to sit on the floor, opening to the first page.  
  
"A picture book?" He asked, immediately noticing that the book lacked words, and it was only a collection of ornately drawn pictures.  
  
Wufei crouched down beside him, peering over his shoulder. Reaching forward he turned the page to the next picture. "You should know this one, then perhaps the value of this book will be made clear."  
  
Duo frowned and concentrated on the picture before him. The ink was old and faded, killing most of the effect any color would have had. No matter though, he did recognize the scene. What student from the Tower of Fang wouldn't?  
  
"It's Odin Lowe, the first of the Tower, fighting the last of the dragons."  
  
Wufei nodded slowly. "This is a history book, a history of your school, told entirely in pictures, so that even those who do not know how to read can know the history. However it was banned many years ago, most copies were destroyed."  
  
"Nice history lesson but I honestly don't see how this is going to…" Duo paused in his words and his throat grew dry as he turned to the next page. Before him lay a picture of a man dressed in warrior's armor, thick with fur and leather. Yet it wasn't the man who interested Duo, nor the dragon who was only a breath away from his face, what interested Duo was the sword in the man's hand. He knew that design and he recognized those runes. "No way!" he murmured.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
Duo closed the book and shoved it back into Wufei's hands. "I don't have time to explain, but don't let anyone know you have that book! I gotta get back to the inn!"  
  
Without another word Duo raced out the door and down the street heading for the inn. In his mind he could clearly see that sword and he felt so stupid for not realizing it before! The sword in the old history book about the Tower of Fang was the same sword Hilde carried on her belt! That meant that Hilde and Quatre were in trouble, because if Treize or any of the other Masters discovered she had that sword… they'd been searching for it ever since the Tower was built and would do anything to get a hold of it!  
  
Duo burst into the inn to find the place completely empty of life. Chairs and tables were overturned and a shattered glass covered the floor near the main bar. Duo swore and punched his fist into the nearest hard object, the top of a wooden table.  
  
"Damn you Treize!"  
  
He had realized and arrived too late.  
  
End of part 5  



	8. Part 6

Part 6  
  
"Trowa!"  
  
The emerald-eyed sorcerer looked up as the angry voice echoed in the air around him. He was sitting in his room at the inn across town. He'd chosen the room and purchased it under a false name, Triton, so he would have easy access to watch Duo and carry out his orders of bringing the boy back to the Tower. At the time he'd been working on a plan on how to get Duo back, but the magical calling interrupted him. Trowa stood up from his seat as the voice echoed around him again.  
  
"Trowa! I know you can hear me!"  
  
Trowa shook his head and smiled softly. He hadn't expected Duo to call him, but he supposed this was as good a time as any to speak with the boy. Closing his eyes he let his body melt into the magic, melt into energy and drift out of the room. Upon opening his eyes he found himself in the room which was Duo's at the Winner Inn. He pushed his magic away, regaining solid form and peered around.  
  
He found Duo sitting on the edge of the bed; his legs swinging back and forth slowly as he clutched his amulet in his hand. As soon as Trowa appeared Duo set down the amulet and stood to his feet. He approached Trowa, a welcoming grin on his face.  
  
"Duo." Trowa said softly in greeting.  
  
"Trowa," he responded, his lip twitching.   
  
The next move caught Trowa completely by surprise and before he could even blink he was on the floor, the side of his face stinging horribly from the hard impact. His eyes widened and he gingerly touched the side of his face. In shock he glanced up at Duo. He found the boy glaring angrily at him; the welcoming grin wiped completely off his face. Of all the things he'd expected from Duo he never expected him to punch him like that!  
  
Duo moved forward and roughly grabbed the front of Trowa's outfit, pulling him harshly to his feet. "Where are they?!" He snarled.  
  
Trowa blinked in confusion. "Who?"  
  
Duo dropped Trowa, letting him fall back to the ground, and spit at the floor beside him. "You know something? I used to have respect for you and your Master, used to think you and the school were pretty decent people. But now? I've just about had my fill!"  
  
"Duo, what are you talking about?"  
  
"First you blame Heero for me breaking into the room of forbidden spells, then curse him to turn into a dragon so I have to lock him away, and now you steal the only two people who I might possibly be able to trust, even my apprentice! This ends now!"  
  
Trowa put his hands up in defense, but only in time to deflect Duo's second punch from hitting his face, it landed square in his shoulder instead and he hissed slightly in pain. Standing up he shoved the angry boy back and put as much distance between them as he could. "Duo! Calm down. You say your two friends are gone? The boy and his warrioress friend?"  
  
Duo's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, Quatre and Hilde are gone and it's pretty obvious they didn't take a stroll in the park."  
  
Trowa frowned. "Then Treize has them? Believe me, you know I wouldn't take such a cowardly action."  
  
The violet-eyed sorcerer sighed angrily and dropped to sitting on the bed once more, his fingers wrapping once again around the amulet lying next to him. "You had nothing to do with it?"  
  
Trowa shook his head. "I swear, I had no idea this was part of his plan to get you back." He took a few steps closer to Duo. "And what was it you said about Heero?"  
  
"You don't know what happened, do you?"  
  
Trowa shook his head. "All I know was that he received punishment for breaking into the room of Forbidden Spells. And then you left."  
  
Duo shook his head. "No, it's a hell of a lot more complicated them that. For one, I was the one who broke into the room and Heero got blamed for it."  
  
"What curse did they use?" Trowa asked softly.  
  
Standing to his feet Duo stuffed the amulet in his pocket. "I'd be better off showing you."  
  
Trowa nodded and stepped forward, wrapping his hand around Duo's. They both knew that Duo was horrible at transporting himself from one place to another with magic, it was a skill not many could master. So instead Trowa closed his eyes and worked the magic for both of them, taking then to the place Duo specified in his mind.  
  
When they opened their eyes they were standing in the mountains at the edge of the town and fields, in front of a cave. Trowa let go of Duo's hand and stepped toward the mouth of the cave. He couldn't see the power covering the entrance but he sure could feel it. Whatever spell Duo had cast it certainly wasn't going to be broken by anyone on the outside, much less anyone on the inside. As he neared the opening of the cave he noticed another form inside, a boy his age. Trowa's eyes widened as he saw Heero stand up slowly and step into the light.  
  
"He locked you in?" Trowa asked of Heero.  
  
"I told him to." Heero responded in a flat voice.  
  
There was a sizzle in the air before them and both watched the magical barrier dissolve into nothing, leaving the cave completely empty. Heero's eyes immediately darted from the setting sun to Duo, who was walking toward him.   
  
"What are you doing?" He demanded quickly.  
  
Duo pulled the amulet out of his pocket and tossed it to Heero. "Put this on."  
  
Heero caught it but still looked confused. "The sun is setting Duo, you know I could turn back any minute."  
  
"Put on the chain so I can finish the spell, then I'll explain."  
  
Heero frowned but did as Duo said and slipped on the necklace, feeling the cold metal settle around his neck. It felt strange, almost like it was alive with power. He watched patiently as Duo placed his hands over the necklace and concentrated. Purple energy flared up around the two in long strands of ribbon, twirling and swirling in the air. Duo took a step back and the energy ribbons wrapped tightly around Heero, covering every part of his body as if he were a mummy being wrapped for burial. Then the sight shattered into small sparkles of energy. Heero blinked and flexed his arms, still able to feel the ribbons around his body.  
  
"A binding spell?"  
  
Duo nodded. "I came across it while I was trying to find something in the scribes' shop. It should keep you in human form for a while, at least long enough for us to get back to the Tower and kick Treize's ass."  
  
Both boys frowned and looked at Duo in confusion. Duo tossed Heero a cloak to cover his naked body then proceeded to explain.  
  
"Treize took Quatre and Hilde and I'm betting he took them to the Tower. The Tower is also most likely the only place that holds the counter spell for you, Heero. So, with that in mind I'm going back there to settle this once and for all. This is the last time that Treize gets to play with the lives of my friends and this is the last time that any of my friends suffer for my mistakes. Heero, that amulet should keep you in human form long enough for you to come with me and help me find the counter spell. Trowa, you can either come with and help us or stay here. I don't really care, but we're leaving now."  
  
Trowa nodded. "Considering the circumstances I will come with and help, if nothing else but to demand an explanation from Treize for what exactly he hasn't told me."  
  
Duo nodded and glanced at Heero.  
  
Heero's eyes shifted to the sun in the sky as it hit the horizon. "When they gave me my punishment they also said that any attempt for me to regain access to the Tower would result in my death and the deaths of those who helped me."  
  
Duo nodded. "Not surprising."  
  
Heero's eyes shifted back to meet Duo's. "But you're right, this ends here."  
  
Without another word Trowa stepped forward and took the hands of both boys. Using the power gathered them he pulled them with him to the Tower. All three boys dissolved into thin air, leaving the mountain empty and soon the wind blew away all traces of where they had stood.  
  
**  
  
Quatre opened his eyes slowly and sat up, gazing at the room around him. He found Hilde lying a few feet away on the floor and they were in a large room with no windows and seemingly no doors. After shaking Hilde until she stirred Quatre walked over to the wall and began running his fingers against the smooth stone.  
  
"Where are we?" Hilde murmured, rubbing her head and quickly checking to see that her sword was still attached to her belt. It was gone. "Aw, damn!"  
  
Quatre glanced back at her. "The man in the inn, he knocked me out right?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, and then convinced me to follow him so you wouldn't get hurt. He's probably the one who took my sword; great just great." Hilde stood up and peered around the room, noticing the complete lack of doors and windows. "It's a wonder there's any air in this room at all. So any idea as to where we are?"  
  
"My bet would be somewhere in the Tower of Fang."  
  
"They kidnap their students now? This is far too strange, everything I've ever heard about the Tower of Fang is that they are all powerful and respected sorcerers, not that they are as immature as my little brothers!"  
  
Quatre nodded but he was only half listening. A second later he completely banished Hilde from his mind and ignored her, concentrating on the walls around him. There had to be an entrance to the room, people didn't just create a room with no doors and windows. Plus the air had to be coming from somewhere because neither one of them were slowly suffocating, so there was a door… he just needed to find it.  
  
Walking over to the wall he placed his hand on the smooth stone and closed his eyes. With slow and careful steps he began to make his way around the room, sliding his hand on the wall as he went. Yet he wasn't searching for an opening with his fingers, he was searching for something else. Once again it was one of those things that Duo had never taught him, but he figured it was worth a shot to trust his instincts. Walking slowly he concentrated on the wall, searching with all his senses for any change, anything.  
  
Hilde stood in the middle of the room watching her friend quietly. She recognized that he was doing something, but she didn't know what. Still she knew when to stay silent and just wait. She watched him make his way practically around the entire room, then something strange happened. The wall in front of him seemed to sputter, as if it moved out of focus and then dropped back to normal.  
  
"Quatre, did you…"  
  
The blond boy opened his eyes and took a step back, looking at the wall before him. Had Hilde not seen the strange sputtering image she would have still thought it was a normal wall, but now they both knew it was some strange kind of illusion.  
  
"Is that a door? Or was I seeing things?"  
  
Quatre frowned. "There's something there… I don't know what." Stepping forward again, this time he placed both hands on the wall, his palms flat. He closed his eyes and concentrated, hard. With all his will he voiced his desire, to get out of the room, and practically battered the wall with that desire. Focusing all his energy he only had that one thought in his mind, repeating it over and over. Each repetition was like a physical blow to the illusion, causing it to sputter and waver before Hilde's eyes.  
  
Then a bright flash moved through the room and Quatre collapsed to his knees, nearly out of breath. Hilde rushed to his side in a panic but soon found he was all right, just exhausted. Looking up they both found that the wall was no longer smooth and perfect. Before them was now a thick oak door.  
  
Hilde helped a struggling Quatre to his feet and let him lean on her shoulder as she grasped the door handle, intent of throwing the door open and making a run for it. However a certain someone else had other plans. Hilde threw open the door, only to be hit by a bolt of energy which sent her and Quatre tumbling back into the room with small cries. Both looked up in surprise to see Treize standing in the doorway, watching them with an amused smile.  
  
"Very impressive, I can see why he chose you to be his apprentice."  
  
Quatre glared as he tried to catch his breath and recover from his loss of energy in finding the door.  
  
"Given your obvious potential I would be willing to admit you as a student here at the Tower. You show almost as much promise as Duo did the day we admitted him."  
  
"No thanks," Quatre said quietly. "I already have a Master."  
  
The amused look melted off Treize's face and for a moment there was rage, then that too melted away to a blank look. "A student can not be a Master. Duo has not finished his years here at the Tower, and if the last year is any indication he still has much to learn. He is not your Master and you are not his apprentice. Once he returns to the Tower he will forget all about you, unless you wish to learn by his side."  
  
"Not a chance."  
  
As the two spoke Hilde crouched beside Quatre, seemingly forgotten. She was listening but didn't speak a word. Instead her attention was focused on something completely different from the conversation; she was watching her father's sword. Treize's had the ancient blade strapped to his own belt, sitting in a sheath that looked practically made for it and much better then her old leather one.   
  
She wanted her sword back. Period. And she was going to get it!  
  
Without warning to the other two, Hilde dove forward, making a grab for the sword. She caught onto the hilt but Treize quickly knocked her away, standing to his feet with a snarl. Hilde caught herself in a roll and landed in a crouch, ready to dive forward again.  
  
"You have promise as a student, however your friend has outlived her usefulness."  
  
Hilde glared angrily at the tall sorcerer, just daring him to make his next move. He did. A powerful blast of energy was sent flying in Hilde's direction, but it shattered as it hit the protective wall that Quatre threw up at the last minute. Unfortunately the wall fell apart as soon as Treize's attack was gone and Quatre groaned softly with the effort.  
  
"Quatre?" Hilde looked at her friend in worry.  
  
"You're friend can't protect you forever, all power has its limits and he seems to have reached his."  
  
Hilde stood to her feet. "I don't need protection. I can fight on my own." Stepping forward she pulled a small dagger from her boot and glared at Treize. "At least I fight with my hands and don't rely on magic to save my ass."  
  
Quatre looked up in surprise. "Hilde, don't!"  
  
But Hilde didn't pay attention to him. Instead she kept taunting Treize, just wanting to get her sword back or possibly even bully him into a physical fight, which she knew she could win. However her plan backfired and Treize just chuckled.  
  
"If one has the magic, then there is no shame in using it."  
  
The next moment was a fury of movements from everyone. Treize raised his hand to attack while Hilde moved forward with her dagger. Quatre, meanwhile, jumped to his feet and dived at Hilde, knocking her to the ground as Treize fired a burst of energy at them both. Quatre knocked Hilde's completely to the ground and shielded her with his body, waiting with shut eyes for the inevitable burst of pain.  
  
But it never came.  
  
Quatre slowly lifted his head and turned to look at Treize. He however found that another had joined them in the room. Trowa stood in front of Treize, holding the man's hand tightly and glaring at him. The emerald-eyed sorcerer glared at his Master.  
  
"This stops now."  
  
**  
  
About the same time Trowa appeared to save Quatre and Hilde, Duo and Heero materialized in another part of the Tower. Opening their eyes they found themselves in a small room with only two beds and a fireplace, neither of which had been used for a long time. Duo frowned.  
  
"Our room," he said softly.  
  
Heero nodded. "We should be able to find the room from here. Do you still remember where it is?"  
  
"Yeah. This way." Duo raced out of the room on silent steps, followed by Heero, and they moved down the corridor at top speed. Duo only ran faster from guilt. He hated how things had turned out and the only plan they could use involved using Trowa, Quatre and Hilde as a distraction. He hated using his friends like that, but Heero didn't have much time and he knew the amulet wouldn't hold up for more then one night, if even that. So he was just going to have to beg for forgiveness after the whole situation was resolved. He just prayed that Quatre and Hilde would be able to stand up to Treize until then and he hoped that Trowa was actually on their side. Because if not… if the emerald eyed sorcerer betrayed them everything was going to go straight to hell.  
  
Both boys reached the large doors without incident; they didn't even run into any of the Masters or students. But then again that was understandable since there were a small number of people in the Tower to begin with. The Tower only allowed one student per Master, which meant you could basically count the students and Masters within the Tower on both hands and still have a spare finger or two. All the better.  
  
Stepping up to the doors Duo was about to force them open when Heero gave a cry of pain. Duo whirled around in time to see his friend crumble to the ground, clutching his sides while his face twisted in agony.  
  
"Heero?!"  
  
Heero's body jerked and silvery blue scales began to appear all over. They covered his arms and his legs and half his face. One eye shifted to become more reptilian but then the transformation stopped. Sweat beaded across the boy's forehead as he took a few deep breaths.  
  
"Heero! The amulet is suppose to be working, that's not supposed to happen!" Duo was nearly in a panic, the amulet was supposed to work! There was no reason why it shouldn't!  
  
Heero struggled to his feet and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I'm fine, for now. We need to find that counter spell or I'm going to end up changing and taking the entire Tower with me."  
  
Duo nodded and turned back to the door, shoving it open with a healthy mix of physical and magical strength. In fact he pushed so hard the doors fell off their hinges, but neither of the boys cared. Speed won out against caution, they both knew they didn't have much time.  
  
Before them was a room walled from floor to tower ceiling with shelves upon shelves of books. Books everywhere and not enough time to look through all of them. Duo quickly raced to one of the shelves and began pulling out books at random, unsure how else to approach the problem. Heero merely stepped into the middle of the room.  
  
"Duo… stay still."  
  
Duo turned and looked at his friend. "You got a spell for finding stuff?"  
  
Heero nodded. "Something Relena taught me." Closing his eyes he began to murmur a soft chant while Duo stood still and watched. He'd never learned anything from Relena for two reasons. The first being that she hated his guts and the second was that her style of magic was very different from most other sorcerers. The things Relena taught were more for the use of those who could not use magic. It relied heavily on symbols and chants and chance. That kind of magic generally wasn't used, specifically because of how hard it was to learn, if you could simply cast spells and fire energy with a thought why bother with a chant? However, in Heero's case where his power was minimal, it was perfect.  
  
The chant moved around the room setting itself to an eerie tune. Heero never once moved as he continued to utter the words, putting his full concentration behind them. Duo watched as a soft gray mist began to seep up from the floor at Heero's feet. The mist curled into one long string, constantly spinning as it wove its way through the air and around Heero's body. It paused for only a second then sped off along the walls, running along the rows of books.   
  
The small whisp of air spent the next few minutes running along the books, as if it were just running past. Duo was beginning to become impatient when it stopped at one particular book and disappeared from sight. Heero's eyes snapped open and he stopped chanting.  
  
"There."  
  
Duo moved over to the book and pulled it down from the shelf, flipping through the pages. Like the book in Wufei's shop there were no words, only pictures. Heero walked to his side and stopped him on one of the pages. The page showed a line sketch of someone standing before a gathering of tall men in robes, the person was stripped down and there was a ball of energy racing toward him.  
  
"That's the curse they used," Heero muttered softly. Turning the page they both looked at the next picture. It was the same person from the last one, but he was kneeling on the ground doubled over in pain. Large dragon wings sprouted from his back and his eyes glowed with an eerie light. Rising up in the background of the picture was a magnificent dragon which blew ice from its mouth.  
  
"And that's what you turn into," Duo murmured.  
  
Both boys turned the next page and Duo nearly dropped the book. This time the picture showed one of the tall men from the first, stabbing a sword into the dragons' chest as it screamed in pain. The picture melted into another toward the bottom of the page, depicting that same boy lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood with his eyes closed.   
  
Heero closed his eyes and drew in a shuttering breath, yet still managed to keep a hold of the book. Meanwhile Duo took a step back and shook his head.  
  
"Tell me that picture doesn't mean what I think it means," he whispered.  
  
Heero closed the book and calmly placed it back on the shelf. "There is no counter spell. I turn back when I die."  
  
"That can't be true!" Duo cried out. "There's always a counter spell! There… has to… be…" his voice dropped off sadly and he looked away, trying to hold back the tears. No! It wasn't fair! He'd just found Heero and all of this was his fault. This was worse then not knowing where he was. It was worse to know that the one you loved would only be human and only recognize you for three days every five years. No! It couldn't be true.  
  
Duo felt smooth and scaled arms slide around his body, holding him in a comforting embrace. Lips met his forehead in a soft kiss, just like they had that first day, and he relaxed in spite of himself and the situation. Opening his eyes he gazed into Heero's sad cobalt orbs.  
  
"It's not your fault," Heero whispered softly.  
  
"Yeah, it is." Duo countered in a low voice. "I'm the one who broke into the room and you got blamed for it. I'm the one who should have been cursed."   
  
"What's done is done." Heero smiled softly and ran a hand down Duo's braid, hugging the boy tightly. "I love you Duo," he whispered, placing another kiss, this time on the boy's lips.  
  
Duo kissed back, tears slipping down his face. He wrapped his arms tightly around Heero and kissed back as if there were nothing else in the world to care about. He wanted that moment to last forever; he never wanted the kiss to end, because he knew what would happen when Heero pulled away. Closing his eyes he savored the moment, running his hands all over Heero's body as he desperately tried to memorize the feel of the boy.  
  
In the end Heero didn't pull away. Instead his body jerked and he stumbled backward, catching himself on a bookshelf as Duo watched in horror. The shelf came loose and Heero tumbled to the ground, books raining down around him. The boy gave a cry in pain as the back of his robes tore, large wings snapping out from beneath the cloth and wrapping around him. A tail sprouted from his back and the rest of his skin became covered with scales. He looked like some strange human and dragon hybrid, standing there in the shape of a human covered from head to toe in scales. Both his eyes had become reptilian shaped while his hands and feet now held sharp sparkling claws. Thankfully, though, the transformation stopped there.   
  
Taking a deep breath to steady himself Heero clutched the amulet around his neck. "It won't last another hour." His voice was scratchy and hoarse, making it obvious that it was an effort for him to speak. His sad eyes flickered to Duo for a moment, then he turned and headed out of the room.  
  
Duo stood there in a horrified daze, not wanting to move. Most of all he wanted all of this to end. He wished he'd never stepped foot into the room with the forbidden spells. He wished he'd never left the school. He almost wished he'd never found Heero, because if he was still searching he could have still held hope that one day they would meet again. And hope was so much easier to deal with then the harsh, cold truth.  
  
Shaking his head Duo forced himself to move, running out into the hall after his friend. Reaching the transformed boy he grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to a stop.  
  
"Heero! Where are you going?!"  
  
Heero frowned and pushed Duo's hand away gently. "If I have to change back I'm going to take Treize with me. Let him be destroyed by the monster he created."  
  
Duo swallowed and nodded. Gathering his courage he pushed away his fear and sadness, locking it away until a better time. Heero was right; Treize deserved worse then death in this case. Not to mention that he had his friends to save. As much as he hated it he would have to mourn his and Heero's problems later. Right now Treize needed to be stopped, for good. Before he caused any more damage.  
  
**  
  



	9. Part 7 the end

Part 7  
  
Treize's eyes widened slightly as he realized who was standing in front of him and who had interrupted his attack. Trowa, his student. Growling he jerked his hand from Trowa's grip, then turned to glare at the younger boy.  
  
"How dare you!" He hissed angrily  
  
Trowa's eyes narrowed. "How dare you. You would kill innocents just because they are of no use to you? How far will you descend?" Trowa's voice was low and flat, but it wasn't hard to hear the dark hatred and revulsion behind his words. He'd lost all respect for Treize now, Master or not. Trowa had seen far too many innocents die in the world period, and he had vowed long ago to never let another be hurt, he wasn't about to let Treize get away with it just because there was a difference in rank!  
  
"You are my student, you will not oppose me." Treize bit out angrily.  
  
"I am not your student. Not anymore. There is nothing else I wish to learn from you." Clutching the amulet at his neck Trowa pulled it hard, causing the chain to snap. In a simple movement he let the amulet fall to the ground, where it clattered against the stone floor and then lay still at their feet. All the while he left his blazing emerald eyes on Treize's face.  
  
"You will regret that," Treize muttered harshly.  
  
The tall man before him wasn't moving but Trowa could feel the power rising up around him, being gathered by Treize for an attack. For a moment, though his face didn't show it, his mind panicked. He was powerful, yes, but none of his attacks could stand up to Treize. Treize was the Master of the Tower of Fang for a reason; no one could beat him, least of all Trowa. Trowa took a step back as his mind whirled, trying to come up with some spell or magic that would protect him or at least save the lives of the other two in the room. Judging from the power Treize was gathering whatever attack he was about to try was going to be a big one, and it was likely none of them would survive.  
  
Yet Trowa's worries disappeared as the room around them began to shake. It was very subtle at first, barely even noticeable, then it stopped. All eyes turned to the door and spotted a small whisp of gray smoke drifting around the corner and into the room, then it snapped out of existence. A second later Duo stepped into sight and leaned against the doorframe, a mischievous grin on his face.  
  
"Duo!" Quatre cried happily.  
  
Treize frowned. "So you were merely a distraction then," Treize said to Trowa. Turning he completely faced the smirking violet-eyed sorcerer before him. "It's good to see you back where you belong, Duo."  
  
Duo slid off the wall, his movements slow, cool and calculated. It was almost eerie the way he moved, sliding into the room in a movement that would have taken years of practice for any human, yet he moved as if it were natural. Trowa backed away toward Quatre and Hilde who stood in the back of the room. He decided, just in case, that he better stay near those two, be ready to protect them if the inevitable battle between Treize and Duo got too out of hand.  
  
"I don't appreciate you threatening my friends," Duo spoke in his normal cheerful tone, yet there was something strange and sinister behind it. He took slow, careful, flowing steps toward Treize. "First Heero, blaming him for my mistake. Then you turn Trowa against me, warping his mind with lies. Then you threaten my apprentice and his friend?"  
  
Treize shrugged slightly, as if this were just a normal conversation. "You do not yet realize how important you are to the Tower, I would gladly accept any price to get you back."  
  
Duo chuckled softly. "Any price eh? How about this one, Treize?"  
  
Another shape stepped into the light behind Duo, but this one actually caused Hilde and Quatre to gasp, while Trowa's eyes widened. Treize visibly stumbled backward landing on the floor.  
  
Heero stepped into the room, his new form forcing him to duck. In the last few minutes he'd grown almost two heads taller then Duo and his scales shimmered with their own magical light. He hissed angrily as he approached Treize, a serpentine tongue flickering between his lips. Reptilian slitted eyes narrowed angrily at Treize.  
  
While Treize was distracted Duo rushed over to Trowa, Quatre and Hilde, a look of worry on his face. He glanced back to Heero, as if giving him a signal, then looked at the others. "Trowa, you need to get us all out of here, now!"  
  
Trowa's eyes widened just slightly as it all became clear to him, exactly what Heero had planned. Nodding quickly he grabbed their hands and concentrated on raising his powers to transport them out of the room. And as they faded away, Heero grasped onto the amulet around his neck.  
  
With a quick jerk he broke the chain.  
  
The amulet crumbled in his hands.  
  
**  
  
The group of four appeared outside the Tower on the rocky ground surrounding it. Almost immediately Duo stood up and whirled around to face the Tower. Above them the sky was an ominous black, lightning shattering silently from one black cloud to another. A strong wind whipped at their clothing and faces. Quatre stood up and walked to Duo's side.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Duo opened his mouth to answer but didn't get a chance. Before them the Tower exploded, pieces of rocks and debree flying everywhere. With quick thinking a green shield grew up around them, from Quatre, reinforced with veins of purple from Duo's power. Large pieces of stone bounced off the shield to land safely on the ground.  
  
They let the shield disappear and watched with wide eyes as the smoke cleared. Grey and black dust dissipated to reveal the large ice dragon from the other night, standing on the ruins of the Tower of Fang. Angrily he flapped his wings and reared up on his hind legs, ice crystals flying into the air from his breath. Floating in the air before him, encased in an orangish glob of light, was Treize.  
  
"Damn! He was able to shield himself!" Duo swore.   
  
The group watched, unsure of what to do, as the large dragon attacked the floating sorcerer. Treize flitted around in his orb of power, avoiding the attacks as his hand reached for his side. Hilde's eyes narrowed as Treize pulled the sword from his belt.  
  
"How dare he touch my father's sword!"  
  
Duo's eyes widened and he whirled around to face Hilde. He gasped as he saw she was speaking the truth, her sword was gone. Whirling back around he saw that Treize did indeed hold it in his hands. No! Treize wasn't supposed to have that sword! Duo panicked as the pictures from the book in the Tower rushed into his mind. The dragon with the sword being plunged into his chest and the transformed boy, lying dead in a pool of his own blood. No! Treize was going to kill Heero!  
  
Before Duo had time to explain to them what was going on he was running. He moved as fast as he could, racing over the uneven ground and jumping over the debree from the exploded tower. But he knew no matter how fast he ran he wasn't going to make it in time, they were still too far away! He couldn't run that fast!  
  
As Duo ran he watched the entire scene before him unfold in what seemed like slow motion. He stumbled to the ground as Treize dove forward, holding out the long ancient blade. Duo crashed to the ground as the blade struck Heero in the chest and the dragon let out a loud cry. At that same moment Duo screamed, staring in horror as the crystalline blood flowed from the dragon's chest.  
  
"NO!"  
  
Power burst from Duo's hands, lighting up the ground around him like a flash fire. Purple light combined with red light shone down from the moon, crashing together and aiming for a single target, a very unlucky sorcerer.   
  
Treize was still floating in the air, surrounded by his orb of power, when the energy hit him. Immediately his small shield crumbled and shattered, sending him flying to the ground. But the energy followed him, pelting him like a physical force until his body was simply a smoking mass of ashes pressed deeply into the ground. Only then did the power die out.  
  
Duo slumped forward, everything haven't been drained from him in that one moment of anger. Yet still, somehow, he found the energy to slowly pull himself over the rubble toward Heero's body. The boy was no longer in dragon form, now he lay thrown across the rubble, the large sword protruding from his bloodied chest. As Duo pulled close to him Heero turned his head and smiled softly.  
  
"Heero, don't you dare die on me." Duo rasped out.  
  
But the boy didn't answer, he couldn't. As the last of his blood dripped away between the rubble the smile faded from Heero's face and the light disappeared from his eyes. His body went limp, one arm falling to the ground. He was dead.  
  
Duo shook his head and pulled himself closer to the boy's body. "No, you can't die like that. I didn't even get to say anything to you." Duo bit his lip as the tears streamed down his face. "I'm supposed to be able to hold you before you die, or something… anything… you can't die like this Heero. You just can't…" Leaning forward he pulled the boy's head into his arms and bent his head down, letting the tears flow hard. His entire body shook with the sobs, completely overcome. Weariness and exhaustion flowed over his body and he slumped forward to lie beside Heero, still cradling the boy's head and still crying softly as the rest of his body seemed to shut down.  
  
Behind him there was the sound of soft footsteps, but Duo didn't move. He simply lay there, crying for Heero. It wasn't fair. People weren't supposed to die like this.  
  
"Duo?" Quatre stopped just behind his friend and knelt down next to him, unsure of what to do.   
  
Silence flowed in the air around them, broken only for moments by Duo's soft sobs, but other wise the boy didn't answer.  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" Quatre asked softly, placing a comforting hand on Duo's shaking shoulder.  
  
The sobs stopped and Duo remained still. Then, after a moment, he nodded slowly. Rolling onto his back he faced Quatre, unashamed of his tear and dust streaked face. "Yeah," he said in a surprisingly calm voice. "I need you to heal me, like you did before."  
  
Quatre blinked in confusion.  
  
"I need to bury him." Duo wiped away his tears and swallowed, trying to calm himself down.  
  
The blond boy nodded in understanding and rested both his hands on Duo's shoulders, nothing else needed to be said. It wasn't a moment for talking, and as Quatre's powers healed the violet-eyed sorcerer he couldn't help but close his eyes to avoid staring at Heero's still body. Quatre's power flowed through Duo, until the boy was healed enough to stand and be able to walk, then he shrugged away from Quatre's touch, breaking contact.  
  
"Don't wear yourself down," Duo murmured softly as he sat up straight.  
  
Quatre nodded and stood up, backing away. It didn't have to be said, he could tell that this was something Duo wanted to do, alone. Turning away he walked back over to where Trowa and Hilde stood, waiting in silence.   
  
The trio turned away from Duo, giving him the privacy he needed to bury Heero's body and mourn his friend. Meanwhile Quatre took a deep breath and turned to Trowa.  
  
"Umm… I still don't understand why you helped, but thanks anyway."  
  
"Yeah," added in Hilde. "If you hadn't of showed up we would have been fried."  
  
Trowa nodded. "Despite the fact that he was my master I refuse to tolerate those who involve innocents. And I will not become that which I despise. Treize's time as ruler of the Tower was over when he cursed Heero."  
  
Hilde fidgeted slightly and glanced back over her shoulder. "Shouldn't we… you know, help him?"  
  
Both boys shook their heads.  
  
"He just met up with Heero after a year, only to lose him again. No, those two need their privacy. Duo will be fine, he needs this time alone with Heero."  
  
Hilde nodded slowly.  
  
"Heero!?"  
  
All three turned their heads as Duo's strangled cry echoed toward them. Going completely against his last comment Trowa raced toward his friend in worry, Hilde and Quatre followed at his heels.  
  
The three stopped just behind Duo to find him shaking as he stared down at the body of Heero. Trowa knelt beside him and glanced from Duo's face to the still body.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
"He… he was breathing." Duo whispered.  
  
Trowa's eyebrows knit together and he reached toward Heero's neck, feeling for a pulse. After a moment he shook his head, there wasn't any movement at all, Heero was dead. It was simply wishful thinking on Duo's part.  
  
"Duo," Trowa spoke softly, reaching toward his friend. "He's gone. He couldn't be breathing."  
  
Duo shook his head. "Yes he was! Just watch!" Reaching forward he wrapped his hands around the hilt of Hilde's sword, which still protruded from Heero's chest. As he touched the sword his hands pulsated with a strange red light and Heero's body gave a quick jerk. His stomach began to rise and fall as his face contorted in pain.  
  
Trowa's eyes widened and he timidly reached for Heero's neck, checking the boy's pulse. And there was one!  
  
"Don't let go of that sword," he breathed.  
  
Duo nodded and held on, not sure of what else he should do. Then it occurred to him. "Quatre, can you heal him? I mean he'll stay breathing as long as the sword is pulling at my power, and you can heal him right?"  
  
"I can try." Quatre leaned forward and placed his hands on Heero's chest, above and below the wound. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and focused all his concentration on the body before him.  
  
In his mind the blond pictured Heero's body, the ragged and torn edges of flesh surrounding the old blade. He pictured the dried blood and the purple bruises, creating a perfect mental picture. Then, taking another deep breath, he forced the image to heal itself. Piece by piece he moved his mind's eye over Heero, concentrating on each wound until it was healed completely.  
  
Outside of Quatre's mind, thin green strings flowed from his hands, waving like living creatures as they attacked each wound, knitting the cells and skin back together piece by piece. As said green strings of energy reached the main wound Quatre gave a shape hiss and bit his lip. Sweat beaded across his forehead and he shook his head, though he didn't let go. The other three watched as the strings began to fade from view.   
  
"I can't," Quatre choked out as he forced himself to hold onto the power. "The wound… too big…"  
  
Duo started to pull his hands from the hilt but Trowa shook his head. Reaching forward he placed his hands atop Quatre's, closing his eyes as well.   
  
Quatre jumped and his eyes almost flew open as new power flowed through his body, bathing him in warmth and energy. Yet he grasped his concentration tightly, just before losing it, and forced himself to focus the new energy, pressing it to the task of repairing Heero's body. As he worked at the torn edges of the skin he knew Duo was pulling out the sword, allowing the skin to knit back together as the sword was pulled away. Finally the blade was gone and Duo was no longer touching Heero, but now the boy's wounds were mostly healed and he was still breathing.  
  
After checking over everything to be sure the boy would be fine Quatre stopped working and allowed himself to rest. The hands lifted from his and he slumped backward, falling into Trowa's arms as he finally relaxed. He blinked open his eyes and offered Trowa a small smile of thanks for catching him and helping.  
  
"Is he…?" Duo abandoned the sword on the ground and moved closer to Heero, who now lay across the rubble as if he were sleeping. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, interrupted by nothing. Duo held his breath and slowly reached forward, timidly touching the area of smooth skin where the sword had been. He found the skin to be smooth to the touch, completely perfect, as if there had never been a cut.  
  
Duo's fingers traveled up to Heero's face, softly moving over his cheek and reveling in the feel of the soft breaths across his fingers. As they watched Heero's eyelashes fluttered and his eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times, just as a person waking from a long nap, then his eyes focused on Duo. Heero flashed a light smile and lifted his hand to rest it on the side of Duo's face. Duo touched the hand in wonder.  
  
"You're crying again," Heero whispered softly.  
  
"Of course I was! I thought you were dead!"  
  
Heero shook his head as Duo helped him to sit up. The cobalt eyed boy glanced down at his own chest and tested the newly knitted skin, then nodded his head once. "It worked," he murmured.  
  
Duo blinked in confusion but then his mouth dropped open in a small expression of understanding. His eyes narrowed as they met with Heero's. "You knew?! You knew Treize would hit you with the sword didn't you?!"  
  
"I was counting on it."  
  
Duo growled angrily. "Why didn't you tell me! I had a heart attack when I saw him stab you, I thought he killed you! I thought…" Duo shook his head and leaned forward into Heero's lap, wrapping his arms tightly around the boy. Heero embraced the boy tightly.  
  
"I'm sorry," he murmured as he stroked his hand through Duo's hair. "I didn't tell you, because I didn't know if my hunch was right. I didn't want to get your hopes up."  
  
"Don't you ever leave me like that again!"  
  
"Hai. I promise. I never will."  
  
**  
  
~ One Year Later ~  
  
Duo glanced up at the large building before him and couldn't help but smile. It had been such a long time since he'd seen this large stone building, he hadn't been expecting to return so soon, but when you end up wandering the world you go where your feet take you, through rain and snow. Luckily, though, this time there was no snow on the ground, spring was in the air and already the flowers were beginning to bloom in nicely tended clumps around the village.  
  
Beside Duo another pushed away the hood of his travelling cloak. Heero glanced up at the Inn then over to Duo in question. After being healed he never turned back into a dragon, though he did retain a small amount of icy blue scales on various places of his body and his ears had gained distinct points. Still, neither boy minded, considering all they'd been through, they were lucky to still be alive and together. Besides, Duo had found that the newly pointed tips of Heero's ears were super sensitive, not to mention that the scales only added to Heero's beauty.  
  
"This the place?"  
  
"Yep, they should be inside."  
  
Heero nodded and followed his lover into the Winner Inn. His eyes swept around the room and took in the occupants, noticing everything as they moved toward the main bar. A trio of normal people sat in the back corner, playing some gambling game while drinking, but other then them there really was no one. Well, no one save the boy behind the counter and the slightly taller man sitting at the corner of the bar. Both looked up as Heero and Duo headed their way.  
  
It took a moment for Quatre to recognize his two friends. After all, it had been a year since he'd seen them last, and they'd changed, though not much. Duo still wore his long hair in a braid, which hung down his back like a tail. He no longer wore the amulet from the Tower, being that the place had been destroyed and never rebuilt. And there was also a bright and happy gleam in his violet eyes, one could truly tell that Heero had kept his promise to make Duo happy. The child of Shinigami was practically beaming.  
  
Beside him Heero was dressed in a simple brown cloak, opting for clothing that didn't draw attention and didn't make him stand out. He normally floated beside Duo like a shadow on their travels, his hood always ready to hide the less human aspects he'd gained from his curse. But even he flashed a small smile as Quatre and Trowa greeted them.  
  
"Duo!" The blond practically bolted over the counter and tackled his friend, hugging him in greeting happily. Trowa chuckled softly and nodded a greeting to Heero.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, kid, you're gonna strangle me!" Duo wrestled out of Quatre's happy embrace and laughed. "Great to see you again too."  
  
Quatre mock frowned and pocked Duo in the side. "You can't call me kid anymore. Especially since I'm not your apprentice anymore."  
  
Duo laughed. "Yeah, ok. Someday I'll get used to calling you by your name, Quatre." Duo turned toward Trowa. "So, how goes it with your apprentice, Tro?"  
  
Trowa smirked. "You picked quite a talented young man, Duo. If the Tower were still standing he'd certainly be in the higher levels by now."  
  
Duo ruffled Quatre's hair. "Yep, that's him alright."  
  
"And how have you two been doing?" Quatre asked, after ducking out from under Duo and straightening his hair.  
  
"Oh, not too much. Just travelling here and there, wandering to our hearts content." Duo snagged a stool at the counter and Heero settled down behind him, resting his head comfortably on Duo's shoulder. Quatre giggled softly.  
  
"Aww, don't you two make such a cute couple."  
  
Heads turned to see Hilde standing in the doorway to the Inn, grinning from ear to ear. She laughed as Duo stuck his tongue out at her, and approached them, her father's sword clicking against her boots as she walked.  
  
"You still lugging that huge piece around?" Duo asked with a chuckle.  
  
"Course! After you guys nulled whatever magic was in it I took it back with me to the school. And they finally let me use it to learn. I just got back, graduated with honors. You are looking at a now fully trained and professional female warrior." Hilde dropped into a mock bow and grinned.  
  
"So you guys staying for long?" Quatre asked as Hilde took a seat next to them.  
  
Duo shook his head. "Not too long. Gotten used to the road. But we'll stay for a few days, ne He-ko?"  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
"You got a room open for the night?"   
  
"Yep. You're old room is still up there."  
  
Duo smiled. "Great. Been travelling a while, gonna go get some sleep. See you guys in the morning."  
  
The three watched as the two boys climbed the stairs to Duo's old room, their hands intertwined as they disappeared around the corner.  
  
"I bet they've been doing nothing but travelling and having sex."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened and he took a playful swipe at her. "Hilde!"  
  
Hilde giggled. "Oh, come on. You know I'm right! What would you do if your best friend, not to mention bed mate from school, came back to life and agreed to stay by your side until the end of time?"  
  
Quatre's cheeks grew red, but he had to agree, Hilde was probably right. In any case it didn't really matter. It was just nice to see those two together again, not to mention it was great to see Duo smiling. After all that had happened he was finally allowed to be happy, and this time there wasn't any old teachers or old schools to chase after him. Duo was free to do as he pleased, Child of Shinigami or not. Duo and Heero were free and happy. And they finally had each other.  
  
The end  
  
  
  
  



	10. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Duo stepped into the room and paused in the doorway as Heero continued past him and looked around. The scaled boy's bright eyes surveyed the room; they'd retained part of their reptilian aspect, making his sight supersensitive to detail. After looking over everything in the room he glanced back to his lover who stood frozen in the doorway.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
Duo blinked and shook his head. "Sorry, just remembering." He stepped completely into the room and pushed the door shut behind him. Without skipping a beat he let out a loud sigh and dropped onto the bed, pulling off his boots and jacket-vest. "Man, how far did we walk today?"  
  
Heero smirked quietly. "Do you really want to know?"  
  
"No. It was a rhetorical question." Massaging his feet he leaned pulled the tie from his braid and flopped back onto the bed. Closing his eyes Duo stretched out and yawned, then curled back up comfortably. Opening one eye he watched as his love pulled the window shut and closed the shades from the night. They both knew they would be sleeping in now that they had a real bed, better to shut out the sun before it even woke them up.  
  
Turning Heero pulled the long brown robe off, over his head, to reveal his body. Beneath the robe he wore his normal spandex shorts and nothing else. Duo was treated to the beautiful vision of Heero's newly formed human body, even if it was his back. Defined, strong back muscles flexed as the boy tossed the robes over a chair, the icy blue scales catching what was left of the light and reflecting it around the room. Those same scales dotted Heero's body, almost in the same fashion as splattered paint. Also, as Duo had found, they were just as soft as the rest of Heero's skin, barely even noticeable if one didn't know they were there. Duo watched as the boy turned toward him and crawled into the bed, snuggling tightly into Duo's embrace.  
  
Ever since they'd been reunited and started travelling together they'd switched positions. At the school Duo had always slept wrapped in Heero's arms for warmth, but now neither slept that way, except in moments of quiet remembrance. Now it was Heero who slept in Duo's embrace and he loved every second of it. Duo was only quite happy to hold his love once again, confident in the fact that they would protect each other and never be separated again.  
  
Now, on this particular night, Heero crawled into Duo's arms and snuggled up against his chest fiercely, almost as if he were trying to hide from something. Duo raised an eyebrow and held his tightly.  
  
"Heero, you ok?" he asked softly.  
  
Heero nodded against his chest, but his grip didn't loosen. The two just lay there in silence until Duo felt something small and wet drip down his chest. He pulled back in surprise and gently touched Heero's chin, tilting his face upward. To his surprise he found small tears leaking from those beautiful blue eyes. Duo's eyes widened as his confusion increased. He placed a soft kiss on Heero's quivering lips.  
  
"Heero? Why are you… what's wrong?" He was beginning to get worried.  
  
Heero shook his head and glanced away. "It feels like a dream."  
  
Realization hit Duo like a rock to the head. They'd never actually brought up the subject of all that had happened in the last year, they just spent the time living happily, in their own little world as if the next day it might all end. Still, the thought had crossed Duo's mind often, he just never said anything because he didn't want to ruin the moments. Apparently it had crossed Heero's mind more then once as well.  
  
Duo held the boy closer. "And you're still afraid you might wake up."  
  
The boy swallowed and nodded. Slowly he loosened his grip on Duo's body and looked up, meeting those violet eyes. He slid a hand down Duo's cheek, a gesture of tenderness and support, need for reassurance.  
  
"I'm afraid I'll wake up alone again, sleeping next to that fireplace, or in that empty cave. I'm afraid… you won't be here in the morning."  
  
Duo wanted more then anything to hold the boy and assure him that he would never leave, but he recognized that wasn't what Heero needed tonight. He realized that the boy needed more then just reassurance on this matter, he needed to be convinced. How long had this fear been haunting Heero? "How long?" Duo asked, echoing the question from his mind.  
  
Heero frowned and looked away almost as if he were ashamed of the answer.   
  
Duo's face grew sad. "How long?" he repeated softly.  
  
"Every night," was Heero's very soft answer.  
  
That answer hit Duo hard as well. Every single night since they'd gotten back together? He couldn't imagine it; he couldn't imagine trying to sleep while that fear was settled heavy on his heart. He just couldn't imagine it. And here Heero had spent an entire year wit this fear? It hurt to know that this was the truth and Heero had never told him, yet at the same time he understood. If he'd had the same fear as deeply as Heero did he wouldn't have said anything either. Sitting up in bed he also pulled Heero up so they were sitting and facing each other.  
  
He sighed softly; Heero looked like such a small child at that moment. He wanted to whisper words of comfort, lie to protect him, but he knew he couldn't. Duo placed his hands over Heero's and squeezed them tightly.  
  
"Heero. I'm not going anywhere. I promise, if I have any say in the matter I'll never leave your side. And you know that if something does tears us apart again I will move heaven and earth to return to your side." Duo reached out and placed his hand on Heero's cheek. "You know this, right?"  
  
Heero nodded and touched Duo's hand, rubbing his cheek against it, seeking comfort in that touch.   
  
"I love you Heero, and I will do everything I have to to stay by your side for the rest of eternity."  
  
A smile crossed Heero's face and he nodded, wiping away the last of his tears.  
  
Leaning forward Duo pressed his lips to Heero's, a single kiss that held only tenderness and the sweetest love. Heero seemed to melt into his embrace, crawling up against him, pressing their bodies together as they shared the soft and trusting kiss. It was one of the sweetest kisses they had ever shared, and it held a world of difference from their nights of frenzied lust and need. This was a kiss of pure love and pure trust.  
  
Both boys moved together to lay back on the bed, Heero pulling Duo down with him as he rested his back against the mattress. Then, breaking the kiss and taking a deep breath he pressed his lips near Duo's ear.  
  
"Make love to me."  
  
The words sent a shiver down Duo's spine and he nodded wordlessly. Once again the words didn't need to be said, he understood. Heero needed physical proof of what Duo had just said, and it wasn't because he didn't believe Duo's words. Instead it was to completely make his fears disappear, and Duo had to admit that he wanted to show Heero how much he loved him. Loved, not lust.  
  
Through all their travelling in the last year they'd had sex, many times. It was always a wide range, sometimes rushed and lustful, and other times it was sweet and slow. It always meant something to them but not as much as this would mean. This wasn't just an act of two bodies coming together, this was love. This was Heero completely giving himself to Duo by asking to be taken instead of taking this time. And this was Duo showing how much he loved Heero and trusted him by accepting the precious thing Heero had just laid in his hands.  
  
With soft and careful hands Duo rid himself of his clothing, tossing it to the floor where it lay forgotten. With Heero's help he freed his love of the spandex shorts, leaving both their bodies naked to the chilly air and to each other. Duo spent a long moment admiring the perfect body of his lover, both of their breaths quickening from the anticipation.  
  
Then, Duo leaned forward and began to kiss along Heero's neck. He moved slowly, paying careful attention to every inch of Heero's body. Lips, tongue and teeth teased and tasted every inch of Heero, making him squirm and whimper from the sweet touches, breathing quickly as Duo hit the sensitive spots and caressed the edges of the scattered scales.  
  
As Duo lavished careful attention with his mouth his hands traveled up and down Heero's body in soft feather-like touches. Goosebumps danced up and down Heero's body while shivers crawled down his back. He completely lost himself in the touches and sensations, taking each as a sign of how much Duo loved him and how much Duo meant to him after all that had happened. He'd long ago closed his eyes and become completely lost in the sensations, floating through a world of exploding colors which built as he moaned and his body screamed for more.  
  
Duo's hands slid down Heero's ass, cupping it tightly, before sliding around to the front and paying attention to Heero's very hard and neglected arousal. Heero gasped as he felt sensation dance along his length, almost too much to take. He'd never felt anything like this, but then he'd never completely laid himself at Duo's mercy and control. He found he quite enjoyed it.  
  
The braided sorcerer began to slowly stroke Heero while he moved forward, seizing Heero's lips in another kiss. Though this time his acts began to become frenzied, the teasing and torture effecting him almost as much as it was affecting Heero. Heero kissed back fiercely, wrapping his arms around Duo and holding their bodies tightly together as the two kissed and Duo's hand began to move faster.  
  
Heero gasped for air as Duo broke the kiss and moved his tongue along the base of Heero's neck. Heero squirmed in his arms, whimpering for more, since they had both lost the capacity for words long ago. Moving his hand fast he gently bit into Heero's neck. Then he moved and licked the sensitive point of Heero's ear. The boy in his arms shuddered, clutching him so tightly it was almost painful. Duo took this as a small sign and pulled his hand away, leaving Heero hanging painfully.   
  
Heero's eyes slid open just slightly and he moaned in protest, trying to beg Duo to continue. But Duo shook his head and moved one hand around to Heero's back as he tried to calm himself. He didn't want to lose control, he had to slow down so he didn't hurt the other boy, though it actually hurt to stop an pull himself back together. Resting his head against Heero's bare and sweat covered chest he moved his fingers along Heero's opening.  
  
The boy in his arms cried out in new pleasure as one of Duo's fingers pressed for entrance. He dug his fingers into Duo's shoulders, opening his mouth to a silent cry as the sensations flooded him anew and his entire body pulsated with need.   
  
It seemed like an eternity as Duo worked to open him and prepare him, fingers moving slowly to avoid causing pain. By the time Duo deemed him ready Heero was gasping for breath and could barely move. It felt too good to be true!  
  
Duo sat back up and positioned himself at Heero's entrance, pausing to stare down at his beautiful love. Reaching forward he slid a hand down Heero's cheek softly.  
  
Heero turned his head against the touch, smiling. His eyes opened slowly, meeting with Duo's. The two boys sat there like that, memorizing the moment as they stared into each other's love filled eyes.  
  
"I love you, Heero." Duo whispered softly.  
  
Heero mouthed the words, still unable to find his voice. Even though he couldn't say the words, Duo could clearly hear what his voice would have sounded like, and that was enough. Duo slid in.  
  
Heero's back arched and he gasped loudly for air, his eyes sliding shut as his entire world exploded in bright colors, a blinding spectrum that no human eyes would ever find in the natural world.  
  
Duo's body moved slowly, moving in and out as his world rocketed with sensation. He and Heero cried out in unison with each thrust, Heero's voice reappearing as they neared closure.  
  
Wrapping their arms around each other they held each other tightly, as Duo moved and stroked Heero, passion and need taking over. As they neared completion both had the same flash of a divine vision.  
  
Two spirit like forms, resembling each of them. The two spirits held each other tightly, panting for breath. They pulled each other so close together that they melded together, into one being.  
  
Heero and Duo both cried out each other's name as they exploded at the same time, the images in their minds merging together to become one.  
  
Both boys dropped back to the bed gasping for air and completely spent. For a long time they just lay there, floating in the soft after glow with their eyes closed, savoring the taste of what they had both just shared.  
  
Eventually Duo forced himself to move and rolled onto his side, pulling Heero once more into his embrace.  
  
"What was that?" he whispered breathlessly.  
  
"Soultie." Heero murmured softly, snuggling into Duo's arms.  
  
Duo smiled and held the boy as sleep threatened. Relaxing he let the unconsciousness take him, his mind fully comprehending what had just happened. Not only had their bodies enjoyed a union of perfect love and trust, but so had their souls. They were now connected, two parts of one being until eternity and again.  
  
And nothing…  
  
Nothing…  
  
Nothing would even tear them apart again.  
  
The end.  
  



End file.
